Constellation of Tears
by khaleesiofthewolves
Summary: YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. When Rebekah takes the cure and becomes human, it seems the perfect solution for her problems. But leaving her world of vampires and werewolves opens a door to something bigger than she could ever imagine. With monsters and enemies now closer than ever, she has no choice but to place her trust in two hunters who will change her life forever.
1. CLEANSE

**A/n: When I began writing this out, I seriously didn't know what to make of it. I wanted to do something different from what I've written in the past. Suddenly, an idea struck. Out of all the characters I loved in The Vampire Diaries, my top three were always Caroline, Rebekah, and Katherine. But out of all three, I've always felt that Rebekah got the shorter end of the stick. I haven't seen a lot of stories featuring her as the main character so I thought, "What the hell?". I felt she deserved more as a character after all she went through all of her centuries of life. **

**I am writing this because I wanted to do something new. I have not written anything in Supernatural, but I love the show and storyline (except for Season 7). I also wanted to take on the challenge of writing Rebekah as one of the main characters, expanding on her story and crossing over between TVD AND SPN. **

**Besides, as much experience I have writing Caroline, writing Rebekah comes easily to me as well. The bigger and funner challenge was merging Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries world and lore together into something that could work. And trust me, I've been going full deep into the research and plotting this bad boy out. I plotted the story out before I began writing this that way I had an outline to go by before posting it. **

**NOW! Let's jump into this! **

**Full Summary: **_**YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM THE TRUTH**_. _When Rebekah takes the cure and becomes human, it seems the perfect solution for her problems. But leaving her world of vampires and werewolves opens a door to something bigger than she could ever imagine. With monsters and enemies now closer than ever, she has no choice but to place her trust in two hunters who will change her life forever, shedding some truths about herself that she never even knew. _

**Timeline:**_ SEASON 8 SPN and SEASON 4 TVD. _

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or SPN. **

CHAPTER 1: CLEANSE

**_Bora Bora, Tahiti _**

Standing on the deck of his private beach bungalow in Bora Bora, the sun began its descent for the night rapidly approaching. He watched as the stars unfolded. Thousands - no - millions of lights sparkles and shined everywhere in the sky, reminding him of days that were so long ago. Eons have passed since he created those stars, putting every sacred detail. Out of all the places, this part of the world was in his top three with the best view of the stars. Bora Bora gave a clear view of the heavens, a dark yet clear blanket of stars lighting up the night. The Northern Lights in Iceland always showing streams of color and light was a close second.

However, nothing beats the view of seeing the stars from Heaven.

He remembered one particular spot back eons ago. It was an overlook. There was a part of Heaven where he could stand and look at all of the creation before him. Planets, stars, galaxies. He could see it all before him in the heavens; all of its majesty existing because of him. All of this was waiting to be born, and he brought it out.

He was the beginning and the end. He was too big and too broad to be described and boxed into one word. Still, there was one name out of his infinite list most of creation knew him as.

God.

It was still crazy. There was a difference between creating all of his creation and then finally participating and enjoying it. Between the sounds of the water calming lapping against the wood and the warm sea breeze blowing against his vessel's skin, he had to admit that he'd done some good. Nothing like enjoying a good drink on one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

However, as much as he had done of infinite good, he also made his infinite amount of bad.

God was able to tune out the regret for the most part. With all of his God-Sight and Hearing, he was able to filter it out, shut it out to enjoy whatever he wanted. But there were times when some slipped through. Most of those were from the ones he failed the most.

Some wondering and lost.

"_Father please help us. We need you." _

"_Why did you leave, Father? What did we do wrong? Please tell us." _

Some full of anger.

"_Really, Father? You've forsaken me? Your own son?! You want the Devil then? You've got it!" _

"_You son of a bitch...I believed in…"_

And some were nothing, but desperate.

"_They're gone. All of them...gone. Father please...I need you." _

"_Please, I can't...I need some help. Please…"_

At times when he was at his most vulnerable, the emotions that came within his vessel would begin to build and almost overwhelm him with the monumental amount of regret coming back full force. He knew he was a coward for leaving. He was a bastard for abandoning his children. With his omnipotence, he sees everything. Within the multiple universes he made, his last two were his best.

However, he saw what had happened with the first one. In its of so many years of existence, it would eventually die. It would perish. Earth has been transformed into a barren wasteland littered with the bodies of angels, demons, and humans. This wasn't the story he had meant to create. He knew he wanted - no. He needed to start over again.

And so he did start over. His final masterpiece. His final story.

When he created the final universe, he knew that there would be fixed points that he could not avoid again. Starting over for a new universe takes time and a lot of energy, and he only had enough for one more try. But fortunately, there was nothing holding him back from making a few "nudges" here and there.

Searching for one of his children's presence, he knew who he was looking for. God knew their goal and how it worked in the previous universe. It was time to change things just a bit.

Sipping his drink, he finally snapped his fingers. It was done.

And he knew, he'd done something right for once.

* * *

**_Willoughby, Pennsylvania_**

Stepping into Katherine's "house" was like stepping into an episode of the Brady Bunch.

The theme of decor throughout the house didn't scream Katherine's tastes at all. It was the opposite. Cozy atmosphere, the duvet on the comfy couch, and even a fish tank? All that was missing was the kids, a dog, and Elijah, (which Rebekah still didn't believe from Katherine's mouth). She couldn't wrap her brain around it. She still needed to bleach her brain from imagining her brother and the bitch doing...ugh! That thought still made her want to throw up.

"No sudden moves. No tricks either. No Katherine-ing," Damon warned, which probably didn't make a damn dent of difference when it came to Katherine.

Although Katherine had her back to Rebekah, the Original could practically hear the sound of the bitch's eyes rolling. Yeah, like Damon's warnings were dangerous.

Rebekah continued to scope the house, taking in the family atmosphere that still felt out of place. Her blue eyes watched the brunette's every move as she walked over to a safe nestled between some books on a bookshelf, unassumingly putting in the combination to get to the cure. With the cure this close, there was no way in hell that Rebekah was going to lose focus. With it being so close to her reach, she would have no qualms ripping out Katherine's heart from her chest, snapping Damon's neck, and taking the cure for herself. She didn't care about anyone else's intentions with the cure, no matter how noble they are.

Besides, it was time to do something for her for a change.

She let Damon ramble on, letting him be the talking distraction while the Original can inch her way to the bitch.

"A quilt and a fish aquarium." He commented, still surprised by Katherine's sudden change in interior decorating. "Who the hell are you?"

"A very old lady with dreadful taste." Rebekah answered in disgust.

Of course, some old habits are hard to break.

Her eyes still fixed on Katherine, she watched as the brunette finally opened the door to the safe, her movements freezing and slowing down. Katherine reached almost frantically into the safe, leaving both Rebekah and Damon wondering what the hell was going on.

"It's gone."

Oh yes, and then the next thing that's gonna happen is Rebekah, Katherine, and Elena are going to forget that they hate one another, skip through the meadow, and braid each other's hair. Rebekah and Damon shot each other the same disbelieving look, fully knowing something was up.

Katherine still remained shocked, frantic panic dropping into her voice. "It was in the safe, but it's not there."

"Not falling for it. Where is it, Katherine?"

"I swear it was in the safe!"

"What, just like Elijah's really your boyfriend and this is really your life? And for all we know, this isn't even your house." Rebekah scoffed, not believing the new act the bitch was playing one bit.

Damon had to agree. "Yeah, it doesn't look like the Katherine I know."

At this point, both Damon and Rebekah had effectively gotten underneath Katherine's skin. Rebekah almost smiled seeing the one and only Katherine Pierce bristle with annoyance. "Maybe you don't know Katherine at all. Did it ever occur to you that you have no idea who I really am?"

"Did it ever occur to you that you're not that deep?" Damon sneered, not buying into what she was saying one bit. "This whole small-town girl thing, we all know it's an act."

Patience wearing thin, Rebekah's hands itched to take Katherine by the throat, and choke the answer out of her until she needed to breathe. "Where is the cure?" she inquired with almost gritted teeth.

Katherine smirked at her, teasing her with the "I know something you don't" look. At this point, the Original snapped.

_That's it! _

She sped up to the brunette in the blink of an eye before Damon threw his arm out to stop her.

"Whoa, whoa. Hang on. We need her alive. The cure's not here. You check upstairs. I'll check down. I got this." The last thing Damon and Rebekah needed was for Katherine to bolt with the cure, and for both of them to have to start over again in finding her location. Kat was tricky to find, and she was the master of the cat and mouse game. Running from Klaus for five hundred years would sharpen anyone's instincts.

Score 1 for Katherine. 0 for Rebekah...for now.

Katherine would stay alive for the moment, but one more passive aggressive look from her, and Rebekah was going to be throwing down. She could see the bitch smiling behind her as Rebekah slowly made her way up the stairs, stopped at the top step and waited. She kept her ears sharp on the conversation below, ready to pounce.

"So if I was a paranoid, distrustful sociopath, where would I keep my most prized possession?"

Katherine chuckled to herself, highly doubting that Damon will ever succeed. "This should be fun."

"Because I'd want it to be close, but not on me. Accessible but not obvious." Damon said as he took he scanned the room around him, searching for anything that might spring out as a potential hiding spot. "I'd want to keep it safe, but not so safe that it'd be too difficult to grab and run."

The brunette watched warily as Damon stopped his searching, his eyes settling on the fishtank before him. Dammit. He's close.

"Well, that is a fancy little treasure chest-" He stepped down before the glass, the tiny gears in his head adding everything together. "-in a tank with no fish. I think I'm gonna have to check that out."

'_He's going to regret that,' _Katherine thought to herself as she watched.

"Aah! Gah!" Damon shouted in pain. "Vervain water. Looks like we have a winner."

Katherine's heart hammered in her chest as Damon picked up a large net to scoop out the chest. No. This was her only ticket to freedom. Like hell she was gonna let him take it for his precious Elena. Over her own dead body. Before he could take it, Katherine sprung into action. She sped ahead behind him, slamming his head into the burning vervain water, holding him there for several seconds before she threw him onto the floor. With Damon writhing in pain, she could make a run for it.

Getting the chest out of the water, she beelined for the door, only for Rebekah to block her path.

"Give it to me or you're dead," the blonde Original growled out meaning business.

Katherine's eyes shifted between the blonde bitch in front of her and the door. Dammit. This was going to cost her, but she knew she had no chance against Rebekah. She wasn't stupid enough to have a showdown with her. She'll have to find another way to get her freedom. "You're gonna kill me anyway. So what's more important to you, huh? Killing me or getting the cure?"

Throwing caution to the wind, the brunette threw the cure behind her, distracting the Original just enough to get the hell out of dodge.

With Rebekah, she caught the cure with ease, but everything around her seemed to stop. Time froze, all of what she heard around her became silent except for her undead heart beating. Her palms began to sweat just thinking about it. It was here. This little bauble seemed to almost pulse in her hand. It was so odd. There in front of her - this small, almost insignificant thing - was the key to everything she wanted. A new life. A new chapter. A brand new everything. It was in her grasp, and like hell if she was going to let this go.

Damon saw the look of awe in her eyes as she gazed at the cure in her hand. It was so close to her now. She had it...and there was little chance left for him to get it for Elena. "Look, Rebekah...Don't even think about it."

Rebekah stood up finally, still in awe that she finally had the cure.

Damon was still gasping for breath, the sting of the vervain water blistering his skin to the point it was hard for him to speak. He still had trouble trouble getting up, but it didn't matter. The chance for Elena to get the cure was slipping through his fingers.

"Let's just talk about this, like the two...rational vampires that we are." He still tried to use his charm even with his circumstances, but his words fell on deaf ears. "Rebekah?"

Rebekah finally broke through her trance, rolling her eyes at his desperation. "Oh, give it a rest. Me taking this cure is the best thing that'll ever happen to you."

The other vampire gasped out in pain. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Admit it," she implored him. "You don't want human-Elena running back to Stefan whilst you're left out in the cold again."

With that, she had hit the nail on the head. She watched him as he writhed on the floor, turning his head away from her with the silence speaking the truth more than he ever did.

"Go on, Damon. Tell me why you want Elena to have the cure," she spurred him on again, waiting for a reaction.

But there was none. Nothing.

Her smile was victorious. "That's what I thought."

Not even hesitating, Rebekah popped the cure open, letting the contents down into her throat. She barely heard Stefan yelling for her and rushing near her as her world darkened around her, falling unconscious onto the couch as the cure's effect took hold.

There was no going back now.

* * *

_She was floating._

_In her dreamless sleep, the warm darkness comforted her, wrapping around her like a blanket as the cure worked through the arteries and veins. She felt as if a warm and cleansing fire pushed throughout her body, purifying her of everything that wasn't meant to be there any more._

_Her immortality was burned away due to the cleansing fire, encompassing all of her as she slept. The cleansing fire did more than just burned away her immortality. It burned out everything that was impure, allowing what was meant to flow in her veins finally open._

_The cure seeped into the deepest part of Rebekah: her soul. Her bright red soul glowed and pulsed; her immortal vampirism forever changed what was human before. However, that would change with the cure. The cleansing fire delved into her soul, burning away the redness of the monster, purging it until the red faded out. With the red taken away, the original blue light of her human soul began to shine through._

_The cure finally did its work. The purpose of the cure was done, leaving its mark in her blood._

_After ten centuries, Rebekah Mikaelson was finally human._

* * *

Rebekah was still unconscious on the sofa with no doubt of the cure doing its work. Stefan couldn't help, but stare at her as she slept on the couch. It was gone now. All his effort to get the cure for Elena was gone. It was over and done, and there was nothing he could do.

"Did you even try to stop her?" Stefan all, but shouted at his brother.

Damon still pissed off, in pain, and trying to get himself back together, snapped back at him. "You forgot the part where I was bobbing for boxes in vervain water!"

"All you had to do was stall her, Damon!" Stefan argued, his arms waving in the air with frustration. "It shouldn't have been that damn hard."

"Sorry. It's Rebekah. I didn't have a pony to distract her, Stefan!" Damon bit back in contempt as he tried to dry himself. He was done with the cure situation. All he wanted to do was go back home.

It was then Stefan's frustration hit his peak. "You let her take it, didn't you? You were never on my side. Now Elena will be a vampire for the rest of her life just like you wanted."

"And how is that a problem, Stefan? All this cure has been for everyone has been nothing, but one problem after another!"

"Damon, we-"

"Don't even start, Stefan. As far as I'm concerned, Klaus' crazy sister solved a problem and tied up a loose end. In fact, I'm ready to send her a damn fruit basket to thank her. As far as Elena is, as much as I want to make her happy, we need to stop coddling her. She is going to have to suck it up and adjust to being a vampire."

Stefan's mouth fell open, trying in vain to argue with him, but his words got blocked. There was no denying with Damon's argument no matter how callous his words maybe. Everyone had been jumping through all sorts of hoops trying to get the cure for Elena's sake, even with the risk of waking up an immortal who could bring the end of the world. And Stefan had to admit it too. He was getting tired. Chasing this one stupid thing was getting tiresome, and he wanted it to stop too. Although he thought it, he hadn't said it out directly.

"What do you propose we do now?" he asked, wondering what would be their next move.

Damon only shrugged. "Thought about killing Rebekah in her sleep, but that would guarantee Klaus coming down on all of our heads. We're not going to be that crazy after what happened with Kol."

It was that moment where both vampires could hear it. The loud gasp of air came from Rebekah, finally awaken from the cure-induced slumber. Both brothers came to her, Stefan sitting in front of her on the coffee table while he scanned for anything different or what could be wrong. Damon just stood from a distance, wanting to keep an eye on the situation in case something happened.

Rebekah has sat up on the sofa, breathing deeply to keep her breakneck-paced heart a rest. She didn't know what to make of it. She seemed better. She felt lighter, even refreshed.

Stefan finally broke the silence. "How do you feel?"

Rebekah couldn't help the smile lighting up her face. The first genuine smile that the brothers had seen come from the blonde Original in a long time. "I- I feel good. I...I feel great. I feel alive."

"Still a slight problem, though." Damon pointed out. "How do we know if she's actually cured? Not like there's a confirmation we can go on."

Rebekah was taken back. Damon made a good point for once. How did she truly know if the cure worked? There was only one way to find out. Standing up slowly from the couch, she strode over to the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers to find what she needed. Soon enough, she found it: a silver knife. She made her way to the brothers again, taking off her jacket, which left her arms bare.

"Alright, you said we need a confirmation. Let's confirm it then."

She brought the silver knife slowly over her arm, grunting against the pain of the knife cutting through the skin. After she finished, all they could do was wait. The blood slowly dripped with little red streaks falling down her arm. Rebekah watched with observant eyes, waiting for the skin to immediately close on its own like it usually did in the past.

This time, it didn't.

Finally confirming her hopes, she stepped back in shock. Letting the knife go, it fell onto the floor with a distinct clatter. Both vampire brothers too stood there in shock to see what was going on in front of them. One brother was almost distraught that his hope for Elena's happiness evaporated within Rebekah's veins. The other brother was happy and almost relieved that their problems would be over.

Rebekah was a vampire no more.

* * *

Deep within a part of Heaven that was long forgotten, there was a vault. It had stood there for eons, aging away in a secret part of Heaven that none of the angels knew except for a select few. Unless had the time to explore every nook and cranny the realm had to offer, no one else would find it. But what was inside the vault was the most important.

Inside the vault, there in the center of the room laid a chest. It was rectangular in shape, and it shined in the light with its lapis lazuli blue. The top of the chest had three distinct orbs appearing to orbit around each other like planets or stars. Silvery vines wrapped around the orbs in intricate lines, decorating the chest with delicate details to enhance its beauty. Around all four sides of the chest were carved sigils in Enochian, keeping whatever the chest was meant to contain locked tight.

To some, what the chest contained was precious beyond measure. And furthermore, if opened, it would literally change the foundations of Heaven.

The Enochian sigils around the chest began to glow, bright silver-blue pulses dimming and brightening in a pattern. What caused this action was unknown. Perhaps maybe something unlocked it or someone specifically unlocked it. It's too soon to tell.

The pulsing faded, the sigils falling back to its dormant state before. However, it wasn't finished. Three wisps of white-blue smoke began to emerge from the cracks of the chest. Three wisps of bright smoke fluttered and floated into the air, taking the environment around them as if they possessed an intelligence.

Before long, the three little wisps of white smoke dispersed in different directions, working their way through the secret nooks and crannies in Heaven long forgotten. They began to descend to the material plane, leaving Heaven and coming onto the Earth. The three wisps of light began to disperse as they descended through the atmosphere, all in different directions.

One wisp in particular, followed its instincts to the northern hemisphere of the world, particularly towards the eastern coast of the United States. As it got closer towards its goals, its instinct became sharper. It needed to get to its destination.

Finally, it floated to within the general area of its goal. It fluttered and flew over the small town below. Getting closer now than ever before, flying above the houses, the wisp finally narrowed down the location of its goal.

Floating towards an elegant mansion, it whipped around the areas, looking through windows and seeing most of its occupants in bed. Its goal was close. So close now.

Coming across one open window, it passed through the opening, its instinct the sharpest than it had ever been before. There lying in the bed peacefully sleeping was its goal. The occupant in the bed was female. Long blonde waves fanned over the pillow as she slept, her blue eyes closed, and her rosy pouty lips were partially opened. The wisp of light found its home. It had been so long. Too long.

The wisp of white smoke flew the sleeping participant's partially opened month, finally making its way back home. It would only be the beginning before it would become whole again.


	2. PRISON

**A/n: Hello, welcome to the second chapter. I will say that it's going to take a few chapters to set everything up to the point where we meet up with the Winchesters and enter the part of the SPN Universe. When it comes to writing, I don't like to jump straight into something unless it is the best option to take. In this case, setting up the story and letting it lead to that point is the most organic way I can write this out. Still thankful I planned all of this out first before actually writing it. **

**I have a lot planned with this story. I want to tell y'all so much, but I don't want to spoil it. Where's the fun in that? xD Anyway, let's go right ahead and jump to the next one. Klausy is not pleased at all right now. LOL.**

**Now, here's a warning. There is a scene of violence of in this chapter. Please read at your discretion.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural or the Originals. They are all property of the CW. **

CHAPTER 2: PRISON

The morning sunlight streamed through the blinds of her bedroom window, little bright beams hitting her face as the sun rose. And, the cool weather from outside was just right to where all Rebekah wanted to do was curl up under the covers and never leave the warm cocoon she'd wrapped herself in. God, all she wanted to do was sleep more.

But that wouldn't be the case today.

Her phone protested and chirped loudly with the alarm she set up, interrupting from her blissful sleep. Yawning loudly, she picked up her phone, her eyes squinting at the numbers on the screen.

8:00 AM.

"Why am I getting up so bloody early again?" she grumbled, her voice still groggy from sleep.

She tossed her phone across the room, the phone softly landing on the carpet below. When Rebekah turned over to go back to sleep, that's when it hit her.

She took the cure! She's human!

Her eyes widening, she sprinted out of bed heading towards her full length mirror in the corner of her room.

It was still so surreal. She could hardly believe it. Looking into the full-length mirror in the corner, she didn't look any different. She still looked the same young and beautiful woman that accompanied her for ten centuries. Same wavy blonde hair, light blue eyes, pouty lips and her graceful yet strong figure. Still same ole Rebekah.

However, ever since she took the cure, she definitely took note of the changes within herself.

The first change she noticed was mentally.

Growing up, Rebekah always had deep-rooted emotions. She always felt strongly, keeping her heart on her sleeve for as long as she can remember. When she was forced into being a vampire, her immortality only magnified those feelings. Her initial transformation magnified all of the emotions running through her and over time, those emotions became most of what she felt all the time. Through the constant heartbreak, she became angry, cruel, and aggressive. Not to mention the overwhelming jealousy. A thousand years worth of ingrained habits were complicated enough to break.

But now, that heavy weight that magnified her emotions was lifted from her shoulders. She felt lighter and more in tune with herself. There was a relief of her not going into a complete rampage if she reacted to something badly. While the cure was a tool to help her through this, most of the work was going to have to come from her.

The second change she noticed was physical, which was pretty relevant and easy to scratch off her list.

Going up to the mirror, she peeled back her pouty lips revealing the bright white teeth underneath. Concentrating as hard as she could, she tried to summon her fangs from before. Nothing. During that process, there was also a lack of the blood red eyes that would come when she gave into her vampire instincts. Nothing vampire-like so far…

And just to test it further, Rebekah ran from her mirror to the other side of her bedroom and came back. No vampire speed. Just regular human running.

Another confirmation. This was the real deal. No gimmicks. No tricks.

She was human.

Rebekah almost jumped for joy, but she opted for just a silent fist pump to the air instead. Knowing her brothers, Nik and Elijah were probably "discussing" as civilly as possible about what to do in regards to her situation now. With her being human now, she was pretty sure their reactions were going towards the negative end of the spectrum.

But honestly, she didn't care.

There was so much she had to do, and she had little time to do it. Getting prepared for the day, she slipped into a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a creme-colored spaghetti strap top. She added onto her outfit with her light brown leather-moto jacket and her black boots. Finally brushing her hair out, adding little to no makeup on today, she was ready to go and face what she dreaded the most: her brothers.

But before she did that, she had to be prepared.

Knowing fully well of what her brothers could do, she wasn't going to take the risk of seeing them without being protected. Living with Nik long enough brought the paranoid side of her enough to always have things prepared in case for emergencies. Plus also keeping things hidden from him was always a good skill to have. As paranoid as he was, she had to be careful about where she placed her valuables. He won't admit it, but he would stoop low enough to look through her belongings.

However, in this case, she wouldn't have to worry about him snooping. She used the last of her stash, anyway.

Ever since Rebekah came back from her dagger-induced slumber, she made sure to take every inch to take every precaution against her family. Between her crazy mother and her psychotic brood, it was hard enough to leave her family and get the sources she needed to keep herself protected. While their heads were turned, she had been intaking vervain on a basis, increasing her tolerance to it. Although it seemed obsolete, it was a smart move until Pastor Young raided the vervain supply in town when all of the craziness of the cure happened. Then her tolerance went down.

When Rebekah and the group came back from the island, she knew she had to use for last option. She had a secret stash of vervain hidden away in the mansion where no one could find it, but her. She'd been using it sparingly, ingesting it in her food and drink secretly, trying to spread the source over time as much as she could.

She also knew that if she was successful in taking the cure, this smart move would prove to be fruitful. Rebekah also knew that if she ever became human again, she was getting out of Mystic Falls and away from everyone else here.

Coming out of her bedroom, Rebekah made her way downstairs, her boots echoing against the marble. Her hunger peaked, making her stomach rumble, but she ignored the pangs. This was too important to ignore. She walked through the foyer and approached the living room, hearing the raised voice of Niklaus arguing against the voice of reason that was her brother, Elijah.

"She needs to stay here, Elijah," Nik said flat out, nursing a glass of scotch in his hands, still most likely reeling from the recent news regarding his only sister. There was no room for questioning in his tone.

Elijah had to disagree. "As much as I wanted to believe it was one of Rebekah's fleeting romantic notions, we cannot do so this time. She's surprised us all by taking the cure. She told us of her goals and now she's achieved them. Who are we to tell her what she should do?"

"WE are her family." Klaus growled out, his stubbornness bleeding through his voice. "WE know what's best for her. She doesn't have the experience to know what the real world is like. WE are the constant in her life that makes sure that she is protected, safe, and happy."

Hearing that, it was then that her own temper went off. "And since when has your protection done anything, but bring me misery, Nik?"

Both of her brothers saw her now, standing in the living room with her arms crossed over her chest with a livid expression. Even as a human now, she didn't look any less fierce now than she was when she was a vampire. The cure didn't take away her bad temper.

She was very brave to stand up to Nik, knowing full well of what he could do to her now with her immortality gone.

"I will admit that you haven't always been the happiest, but that matters little when you were always safe within my care," he continued, finishing off his scotch in one gulp.

"Just because I was safe doesn't mean that I was happy!" Rebekah snapped. The old anger from before bubbled and boiled in her blood as she remembered. "Yes, you were the constant factor in my life, but you were also a **constant **reminder of my misery."

"Watch your tone," he warned.

"You are not going to prevent me from telling the truth," she replied stubbornly.

Before she knew it, Klaus sped across the room, locking her hands in a tight grip. The corners of his lips turned upwards into a smug smirk. "Without the use of your immortality, would you like to test that theory?" he said as his hot breath fanned onto her skin with him so close. His stormy blues met her ocean ones, dilating with the use of his compulsion. _"Be silent…"_

She could almost feel the pull of the compulsion bringing her in, but she shook her head away, the vervain doing its job. "You're going to have to be craftier than that if you go with that route."

Klaus stepped backwards in shock while the other brother put two and two together.

"Vervain…" Elijah guessed correctly. "You've been taking vervain? I thought all of Mystic Falls had run out."

"Not everyone," she explained, almost smiling. "I had my own secret stash tucked away. Been taking it since we got back from the island, in case I ever got the cure."

"It doesn't matter." Klaus snapped with aggravation. Filled with anger, he still had her arms in a tight grip. She wasn't going anywhere if he had anything to say about it. He dragged her across the room closer to the fireplace, almost bringing her to her knees as he reached for the knife that sat next to his paints. "All I have to do is drain you of your blood, and the compulsion is not going to be an issue."

"NIKLAUS, STOP!" Elijah yelled as he sped forward, pushing his brother out of the way and letting Rebekah go free. "This is not what we are going to resort to, brother."

"Then what do you propose then, Elijah?" Klaus scoffed, trying to get his bearings as he got up from the floor. "Trusting her to actually speak to us and not run off?"

"Where would I run to, Nik?" she asked incredulously. "It's not like I can get anywhere without you speeding after me."

"**Enough!" **Elijah's voice echoed throughout the living room. Both Rebekah and Klaus froze, shocked by their eldest brother's outburst. It was rare when Elijah had to raise his voice to them. Whenever he did, it left an unsettling effect. He wasn't playing around. "If both of you can't talk like adults then you won't be treated as such."

"What in the bloody hell does that suppose to mean?" Klaus scoffed once more, wondering what the hell was going on within his brother's mind.

"It means I'm going to have to treat you like children." Elijah explained as he gently guided his sister to the table. "You will sit here while Niklaus…" he pulled out a chair across from Rebekah. "...will sit here as we continue."

"And what makes you think I'm going to do that?"

"Forget about it, 'Lijah. He's not going to listen to matter how many times you try." Rebekah voiced her doubts, wondering how in the hell any of this conversation was going to be civil. What she didn't voice was how little his help would do her any good. She was already skeptical about him given her past experience.

"He is going to listen, especially of his recent experience has taught him anything."

Klaus' eyes widened. "You didn't?"

"I did, brother."

"Can someone please tell me what you're talking about?" Rebekah asked impatiently.

"Klaus had an unsavory encounter with Silas, and if it weren't for Ms. Forbes' effort, I am sure he would have been in a far worse state."

Now this was news she didn't expect. "What the hell happened?"

Elijah turned to his brother. "Should I tell her or should you?"

"I can tell her just perfectly well." Klaus said annoyedly, sending a glare to his brother before turning to Rebekah. It took a long moment before he could speak. Despite how much he didn't want to admit it, he was still shaken up. "While you were away looking for the cure, Silas came. He spoke of how he wanted the cure and of how he knew that I loathed the thought of the cure being used against me. He thought he could procure a deal with me, but I refused...then he attacked me with the white oak stake."

Her eyes widened. "How were you even alive after that?!"

"Silas didn't stake me with it whole. He broke a piece of it, and left it in my back where I was left writhing in pain. Eventually, Caroline came and she...tried to help me. Somehow in all of this mess, she managed to break through. And it was over." Klaus explained slowly, his anger and shame bubbling to the surface. The last thing he wanted to display was weakness, and God...this messed up his pride. Big time. "He got inside of my head, Rebekah. _Me_. Like it was easy as breathing. The only thing that broke through his hold was _Caroline. _Nothing gets past me. Nothing gets past us…"

"Until now…" Rebekah finished, realizing the full weight of the situation in front of her now.

A pregnant pause filled the room, leaving the siblings to stare at the other for a moment. Elijah was surprised at Niklaus, but was proud of him. With the situation as dire as this, it was good to see him being able to come through and drop his pride to at least to explain the situation. Observing him, he could see a mix of anger and shame and the need to lash out at the man who has become the most dangerous enemy to their family. Reaching a hand out to his brother, it clasped on Niklaus' shoulder. "It was wise of you to do what you did. You did well."

Klaus scoffed, his usual Original Hybrid mask coming back again. "It wasn't for you, Elijah, or for anyone else."

"Will one of you explain to me what you are bloody talking about?"

Rolling his eyes, he gave her the simpler version. "In order for Caroline to help me, she wanted something in return. Her help for Tyler's freedom and my guarantee that I wouldn't hunt him down and put his head on a spike."

Processing this information, she almost let out a shocked gasp. Her brother? Nik? Nik being decent and making a promise not to kill someone? It must be snowing in hell right about now.

"As much as I am shocked, I'll admit it. Caroline does surprise me."

"His newfound friendship with Ms. Forbes is definitely noteworthy, but there is still the situation at hand with Silas." Elijah explained solemnly, pouring himself a glass of scotch before taking a swig. "I applaud you for proving your determination towards your goal. You have accomplished your humanity by taking the cure, but that choice also leaves you vulnerable, which is why I can also see our brother's point with staying together as the best option."

While she was glad to be acknowledged for once, it didn't change her abhorrence of remaining here any longer. All of her life, she always had to obey. Klaus and Elijah always knew what was best, and she had to follow suit for the good of their family. She was disgusted with them, and she was done.

Klaus always had her shackled to him, telling her the excuse of him doing this to protect her. Bullshit. Killing all her lovers was protecting her. Keeping her daggered was protecting her. Keeping her in the bloody darkness for years on end was protecting her. Ruining every chance of happiness for her by protecting her.

It wasn't protecting her AT ALL!

And Elijah? Oh, let's not forget. The ultimate savior of their broken family. Always there to save the day - no! It wasn't to save their family. It was always to save their brother. No matter how many ways he told her, she knew the deep truth. Klaus was the one he was always going to save. Klaus was priority. Her and everyone else were not enough. It was no wonder Kol hated everyone save for his sister just a bit less. (God, it was still hard to think of him.)

Well, the selfish bastard and the white knight could have each other for all she cared. Staying together meant more prison time in this one horse town that she called "hell".

"As nostalgic and sentimental as that was, brother. I still haven't changed my mind. I am leaving this place whether I have your approval or not."

And like that, they were back at the beginning.

Klaus gritted his teeth in frustration. "Why must you always be so bloody stubborn?"

"Look who's calling the kettle black!" she snapped, her voice rising higher as she slammed her hands on the table. "You are the most stubborn bastard I know!"

Her anger was the only thing keeping her brave as she watched Klaus' eyes blinked with the wolf anger lingering beneath the surface. He kept it in check, but she knew if she pressed the right buttons, it would come out.

"Stubborn or not, I am your only protector. You are not leaving Mystic Falls even if I have to lock you up in this mansion until Silas is dead."

"I can protect myself! Have you thought that maybe for once in my life that I would be just fine without you hovering over me or blocking any chance of happiness I have?!" Her anger reached a boiling point. "I am in less danger being alone instead with you acting in your paranoia and fear. I've had it! I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be any part of this family. If I am only going to be in a prison then I don't want to be _**your sister.**_"

Like a snap of a twig, Klaus' anger triggered. His eyes flickered dark. He flashed across the room, and wrapped his hands around his sister's throat, squeezing the life out of her.

"How dare you…" he growled. "How dare you become ungrateful to me after everything I've done for you!"

While it was only a few seconds that passed, it may as well have been a century. Rebekah struggled for breath, black spots appearing in her vision, her breath slowly slipping away. God, it still hurt like a bitch when when Klaus gave into one of his rages as a vampire. It hurt twice as much as a human. There was almost nothing left until a brute force collided into Klaus, hurtling him to the ground. She fell onto her side, gasping and heaving for air back to her lungs before the world around her faded to black.

* * *

It has been hours now since Rebekah had been put to bed in her room. Elijah made doubly sure that she would get the utmost care after what happened. She'd been given some blood from him in order to speed up the healing process. Meanwhile during the waiting process, the Original sat down in one of the armchairs in the room, his eyes skimming through a book he wasn't even reading. His dark hazel eyes observed every detail of his sister's recovery. He was determined to make up for his brother's regrettable actions.

He sighed heavily, putting the book aside while having already read it so many times. His eyes fell to Rebekah's neck, trying to keep himself calm after the explosion of anger he experienced earlier. The bruising from Niklaus' strength was fading away, but the impact of his actions will linger in his sister's mind. That was for certain. If anything, it only proved more of her point.

Even in their care, she was better off without them.

His heart sank. As he watched his sister sleep, Elijah couldn't help, but felt as if he was at a fork in the road. He was stuck between two very important people in his life, and he didn't know where to go. He'd been in too many situations like this in his ten centuries of living. Despite his numerous shortcomings, Niklaus was right. With their family being the most powerful in the world, they would have no problem in protecting their sister. However, Rebekah also spoke valid points. Niklaus and his paranoia about people and their family has always caused them more trouble than it was worth. It was always a mess, and he was always the one to clean it up.

Rebekah got caught in the crossfire, and she was paying for it. She shouldn't have to. Sighing again in defeat, he knew what he had to do.

His deep musings were interrupted when his sharp hearing caught Rebekah's breath quickening, her heartbeat speeding out like a bat out of hell. Coming to her aid, he rushed to her bedside and quickly reassured her. "Shh, Rebekah. It's only me…" he spoke softly.

"Where is he?"

"He's away," he explained vaguely, not wanting to upset her.

"Good." The lack of warmth in her tone didn't surprise him. Her eyes shifted in different directions around the room, taking in her surroundings. "How long was I out?"

"About four to five hours, give or take."

That wasn't enough. She required much more sleep (like maybe twelve more hours) to process everything that happened. Honestly, she wouldn't mind being asleep forever at this point. Maybe a dagger in the heart wouldn't be so bad as a temporary nap if it meant not having to repeat her recent trauma.

"Here's some ibuprofen for the pain and water to drink it down." Rebekah accepted Elijah's gift gladly, wanting nothing more for the remnants of her pain to stop. "I also gave you some blood to help with the healing process. You're going to see the bruises at least."

"You gave me blood?" she asked surprised.

"Yes. Surely that would be the fastest solution."

"But I don't want any vampire blood in me, 'Lijah. Now when it gives our brother the chance to just kill me and make me turn!" Her voice rose in volume, the high from her emotions indicating she was still affected from before. "I will not be a vampire again. I will not let him take my happiness away! I won't...I won't-" Everything within her was building up. Her new vulnerability and the fear of her brother finally hit her like a brick wall. Silent tears began to drip, her hand pressed against her mouth to muffle the crying. She couldn't be weak. Not now.

Elijah gathered his little sister into his arms, holding her close to him. But as his arms went around her, her body reacted before her mind could take over.

"NO!" She rushed out of her brother's arms, going towards a corner in her room, her back turned to him with her arms crossed over her chest. Her body shivered, not from the cold, but the fear and trauma pulsing through her veins. The down side of her new vulnerability finally showed itself, and she had to admit, it would be something she would need to get used to.

Logically, she knew it was only Elijah, but her body kept arguing it was Nik out to get her again.

Elijah seeing her there in that state broke his heart. His strong, beautiful, and heart of gold sister, shaking like a leaf, a former shell of the brilliant woman she was. This wasn't Rebekah. This was someone else. He saw it now. She was right. Their home - this prison - their family had brought her to this state. While Niklaus held the majority of the blame, Elijah couldn't help but carry the cross now too, not coming to her aid enough with being occupied with Niklaus' messes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I...can't…"

"Don't be sorry, Rebekah." He reassured her, walking slowly to her side carefully as if approaching a wild animal. He kept within safe distance in case she needed him. "I should be the one asking for forgiveness."

"You did what you could, Elijah." The words came out of her almost like an automatic response. He saw the way she avoided his eyes, trying not to hurt him with the truth.

"You're wrong, Rebekah." He said, sighing in defeat. "While I was the one putting all of my efforts in the uphill battle of steering our brother on a better path, it was you who truly was the better sibling. You loved him despite everything he'd done, despite the nightmare he put you through. Instead of coming to your aid, I chose to be blind. And for that, I am deeply sorry."

Rebekah stood there in silence, not sure what to say about his apology. She wanted acknowledgment for so long, but was denied so she adapted. His words left a surreal effect on her as if they were a balm to one of the deep wounds in her soul, healing her finally after some time.

Becoming more at ease now, she took a deep breath.

"As much damage both you and Nik caused me, please remember it wasn't you that hurt me the most," she explained. "The very least you did was apologize to me, showing me that not all of my strife is being ignored."

"You will not be ignored again, Rebekah." Elijah spoke with conviction. "Which brings us to more important things."

Before she could respond, her brother marched over to her closet, bringing out one of her silver-colored suitcases, and placing it on her bed.

"Elijah, what are you doing?" she couldn't help, but asked confused.

"If we pack quickly enough, you should be able to make it to North Carolina before this evening." He explained as if Rebekah should have known the answer.

"North Carolina? Why in the world would I be going there?"

"To leave, Rebekah." His answer was finally in the open now. "To have your freedom."

It was then that everything came full circle. Fully realizing what he was giving her, the shock of it plus the happiness that bubbled inside her made her heart want to burst. She could feel her eyes prick with happy tears, stubbornly trying to rub them away to keep her brother from seeing.

"I…" she began unsure of herself. "...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything to me, sweet sister. I can already see the gratitude in your eyes any way."

He truly had no idea how grateful she truly was for him to do this. He was finally listening. Someone was listening to her.

Finally coming back into a clear mental space, she spoke out. "So, if you are telling me to back now, it means you have our brother away somewhere for only a certain amount of time. Where did you send him off to?"

Elijah nodded, his eyes scanning for some shirts in Rebekah's closet that he may have some clue as to what she would want to bring. "I am positive that Niklaus is out to run off his rage or going somewhere to lick his wounds. Maybe both," he explained before reaching for a pair of black leggings, a light white shirt, topped with an old denim jacket, and sneakers. "I know with your new state, you will be wearing less heels and boots and opt for something more comfortable while you are traveling. Will this do?"

Seeing the items of clothing in his hands, her mouth almost dropped.

"God, Elijah. I didn't know you knew women's fashion sense."

He only shrugged. "You pick up a few things or two being a vampire."

"Come on, Elijah. That's not from being a vampire. It's from being around Katherine."

The mention of her name made Elijah freeze for a moment before resuming his help with packing. "I can assure you that she is not of importance."

"'Not of importance?'" Rebekah parroted. "Since when? I may not have believed her story before about this whole relationship between you two, but I can put things together pretty quickly. You wouldn't have picked those clothes unless you've been around a woman a while."

"Since yesterday." Elijah answered shortly before forcing to resume the small smile on his face, trying to bring them back to what was more important. "Do I need to tell you again? Hurry up and get packing."

Not needing to be told another time, Rebekah collaborated with him. Telling him which she things wanted to bring and things she can leave behind. Both of them smiled and laughed through the process, feeling easier with each other for the first time in a while without a dark cloud hanging over their head. However, as they came closer towards the end of finishing up, Rebekah zipped up her suitcase plus a personal bag or two of her own. She was fully dressed and ready to go, prepared for anything.

As much as Elijah wanted to be prepared, he wouldn't be for the emotional war inside of him because he knew. He knew as soon as Rebekah would be out of the door, she would be gone.

And he highly doubted she would be returning.


	3. FREEDOM

**A/n: Hello y'all. Here we go with another chapter. We are making good progress with the story. And I am majorly glad I am keeping up with the updates on Fridays so stay tuned! Meanwhile I would like to give a shout out to all who have favorited (3) and added story alerts (6) for my story on FF. On Ao3, I have 2 kudos and one bookmark. Thank you so much for reading. **

**And another special shoutout to pleasesaycaroline for being my first reviewer. Honey, you totally made my day. **

**I will say that I am not feeling this chapter as much as I wanted to. The scene with Klaus...it was a bit tricky. This week got busy and I was rushing to get this out. Please bear with me. **

**So this is also what's going to happen. Constellation of Tears (or COT) is the first part in a series. Yes, I am that bitch. I am writing a freaking series! Do I have other stories I need to update? Yes. Am I still going to write this? HELL YES. The crossover series with TVDxSPN is called Dreaming of Eden (inspired by the song from Skillet). Without spoiling too much, it is going through the seasons...in my own way. Of course, I want to do well with my writing with this so any feedback or advice you can give me with this will be awesome.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural or the Originals. They are all property of the CW.**

CHAPTER 3: FREEDOM

You would be surprised how much a girl can pack in a suitcase. Add vampire speed and the time needed is cut down in half. Well, that's usually for a female vampire. Even with Elijah helping, it took Rebekah longer than what it normally did in the past. Either way, he was more help than she could ever ask for. Just when her mind was running on so many other things, Elijah would bring her back into focus. God, there was so much.

But later on, it was over.

"Okay, that's everything."

She finally finished packing, dragging the zipper across her suitcase, ready more than ever to hit the road. The new human Rebekah could hear it calling her name, and she couldn't stop the excitement and the little bit of terror rushing through her veins.

"Are you sure that you have everything?" Elijah asked.

"Yes, 'Lijah. I do have everything. Let me get changed before you worry too much." Rebekah said with a smirk before heading into the bathroom, grabbing the change of clothes with her.

More than happy to be alone and just breathe, she stepped up towards the counter, looking into her reflection. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to calm her racing heartbeat. This is it. This is what she was waiting for forever. Going as fast as she could, she quickly shredded her old clothes, changing into the black leggings, white t-shirt, her denim jacket, and comfortable tennis shoes Elijah chose before. Brushing through the blonde waves, she let her hair fall down naturally to her shoulders. Rebekah didn't bother with her makeup. She didn't have time. God, there wasn't enough time at all.

Finished getting dressed, she stepped out of the bathroom. There standing by her bedroom door was Elijah, placing the suitcases by the open threshold, his eyes shifting to meet his sister's gaze. For the first time in centuries, he caught a glimpse of the happy spark that evaded Rebekah for too long. Despite the fear in her eyes, she was beaming.

"You look amazing, Rebekah." Elijah said breathlessly.

"Trust me, Elijah. I've looked far better in other clothes." Rebekah responded, not usually going for an outfit like this, but she opted to be comfortable with the long trip ahead of her.

"I don't mean your clothes, sister," he explained. He took a step towards her, his left hand running through the gentle blonde waves, settling for the side of her face. He smiled and said, "You're happy, Rebekah. For the first time in years, you're smiling. I want you to keep smiling again, even if it means what you have to do."

And like that, Rebekah felt as if a piece of her heart chipped. Her smile faltered, her throat growing tight as she let herself lean against her brother's caress. The whirlwind of all the emotions she had gone through the last two days drained her yet she still had to keep up. The hardest to swallow out of all of them was regret. While she had no regret leaving Mystic Falls, she would regret leaving at least one person behind. Elijah finally stood up for her and her choice healed a part of her soul and heart, igniting more love for him than she'd felt in the past for centuries. While she loved him before, she still held a grudge against him and saw him as a hypocrite for putting Nik's needs before hers.

And now?

All she wanted to do was hold her brother tight and never let him go.

She fell into his arms and felt his strong hold comforting her. Those arms who have more than once protected her against many dangers since they were children.

"Oh, 'Lijah," she sighed. A few tears slipped and fell onto his suit jacket. "I don't want to leave you, especially with Nik...but-"

"I know, sister." Elijah answered, bringing his through her blonde locks in a comforting manner.

"Do you really know, though?" Rebekah asked, taking her head from his chest and staring directly at him. Her blue eyes peered into his dark hazel ones, almost as if she was searching for something more. "You know why I want to be human, right?"

"I understand more about the need of finding happiness away from us, especially after Niklaus' actions and my lack of stopping them and vouching for you. But as to this choice for being human - no. Unfortunately, I do not see how necessarily how a human life is the answer you are looking for. It's not necessarily greener, but that is my own opinion."

"You're right," she replied honestly. "It may not be all that I imagined, but I don't care. I've already made my choice. I want to live a simple life as a normal person, and when it ends, it ends."

Processing this, he could see the resolute determination in her eyes. No one was going to change her mind no matter what. She's had centuries of thinking this through. "Can you at least promise me one thing?"

"Anything, Elijah."

"Please protect yourself. Always be prepared. With Silas on the prowl, it does put you in danger." He warned her, grasping her hands and squeezing them earnestly. "I will give you information on my secret safe houses throughout the country if you ever find need for them."

She nodded in understanding. "Of course."

"One more thing," Elijah said. "If under any circumstances that you need us, please call me or Niklaus."

At the mention of Nik, she stepped back in recoil. "I don't need his help, 'Lijah."

"Be pragmatic, Rebekah," he scolded her. "I am not requesting you to forgive him this second."

"He doesn't have the right for forgiveness from me." She argued, gathering her roller duffel by the handle and strapping her personal bag to her back.

"I understand, but you are not going to leave without both me and Niklaus' numbers in your phone. Promise me you will at least one of us if you are in trouble."

"Elijah. No-"

"Rebekah…"

"FINE! Just drop the bloody subject and let's get a move on."

"Thank you, Rebekah." Elijah said as he gathered the bigger suitcase into his hand. "Allow me to escort you to your car before you say goodbye."

"Now, that I will be happy to agree to do."

It didn't take them long for both of them to reach the bottom of the staircase and into the foyer. Rebekah could hear the wheels of her roller suitcase echoing across the floor and into the high ceilings above. The double doors were in front of her. One step out of the door, and she would be free. Her heart hammered at her chest at the thought.

"Here we go," she whispered to herself.

Reaching for the doorknob, a quick turn of the handle was all it took for the cool spring air to hit her all at once. Her car that she drove in with before was parked for her, waiting for her to drive off into her own sunset. As cheesy as that sounded, Rebekah couldn't have been happier. She was going to be finally free.

"Did you do this, Elijah?"

He nodded. "I wanted to make your leave as easy as possible. It was the least I could do."

Stepping away from the house, she almost made a beeline for the trunk of her car: her cherry red 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce. It was one of the few cars she enjoyed that had a vintage theme. Secretly, she had a love for older classic cars. Oh, the days she would have loved to steal Damon Salvatore's old classic 1969 Ford Mustang. That car was a true beauty she would have loved to have and just to piss Damon off. However, it was more fun to have your own car that was uniquely you. Her little roadster was perfect.

Before she could open the trunk, Elijah called out. "Rebekah! I believe you will need these."

He tossed her keys to her. Rebekah chuckled to herself as she caught the keys with surprisingly good coordination for a brand new human. Without wasting another minute, she put most of her things in the newly opened trunk, fully ready to go. The only thing that was left was her personal bag, which Elijah took from her, and carefully laid it in the passenger side for her. Everything was ready to go now.

"I guess that's everything then." Rebekah said, all of this becoming surreal to her.

Elijah coming to the realization of this moment, couldn't stop the emotional war inside. He wanted to keep his sister close and safe and prove her wrong that things can change. That he could help Niklaus and things within their family can heal. But that was a dream. Only a dream that Rebekah wanted no part of or could see coming a reality. Besides, he'd promised her the freedom she desired. He wasn't backing out of it now.

His hazel eyes watched as she walked towards the driver's side of the car, her fingers brushing over the car door. He followed close behind her, staring at her for a moment before taking her into his brotherly embrace.

"Take care of yourself, Rebekah," he urged softly, fighting with himself to let her go.

"I will, 'Lijah. You know I will,' she whispered back.

It was then that a familiar condescending tone pierced the air. "Are you really sure about that?"

Everything in her body shook. All of her anxiety came back with a bloody vengeance, and it took every part of her not to give into her fear. She didn't even have to turn around to see who was there. She already knew. Who wouldn't try to ruin her day one last time before leaving?

Niklaus.

* * *

He didn't understand. He didn't understand any of this at all. Why was all of his family turning against him?

It was only him, Elijah, and Rebekah now. Shouldn't all of them stick together as one just like their promise ten centuries ago? Did that promise lose its value or meaning at all? While he would admit that he was a stubborn bastard at times, none of what he has done in the past has warranted such behavior that he dealt with from his siblings.

When Rebekah was a vampire, it was easy to keep her within his sights. After all, protecting her was his job. His sweet baby sister. His innocent baby sister. Klaus could see from a mile away when she would let her heart be swept away with every suitor she deemed worthy. However, he knew how truly men were and what lurked inside their hearts. He's had the same darkness and lust in him for long too. And when he took them away (usually by killing), instead of appreciation, he received backlash from his sister. How dare he spoil her happiness? How dare he try to protect her?

But when Rebekah took the cure and became human? What he thought of was an opportunity to keep her closer to him turned out to be a disaster. Finding out that she can't be compelled, he can't dagger her to keep her in one place, and then the nerve of her deciding that she wanted to leave him? Not be a part of their family. The last part set him on edge and drove him into a blinding rage.

When he took his rage out on Rebekah, he immediately regretted it (not that he would confess that out loud). But what came afterward was something he didn't expect at all.

Elijah losing all of his composure and launching a full scale attack.

* * *

_He had watched as Rebekah fell to the ground. Even unconsciously, Rebekah could still make him so angry. His hands still shook from the rage that enveloped him. How dare she take him for granted. How dare she think she had the right to toss him aside. When all of this was over, Klaus would make sure that she would be in her impenetrable cage and never get out. _

_However, that would not be the case. Out of nowhere, an almost enraged roar came from the most unexpected source. Elijah. Eyes red and fangs out, he growled and hissed at his brother in rage as he threw his brother against the wall, making a generous size dent in the process. However, it wasn't over. Again and again, the Mikaelson brothers were at each other's throats. Eventually, when it came down to it, Klaus would always have the advantage. His werewolf side gave him an extra source of strength along with his rage plus the werewolf venom pumping through his veins. _

_The fight had come to close. Both brothers were seething in rage, one brandishing a white oak stake while the other had a white ash dagger. _

"_You would truly try to kill me?" Klaus asked in shock, not used to the occasions where he has lost. _

_You would be surprised how far a man is willing to go if they are pushed, especially when they are angry. Elijah was livid. _

_Elijah's red eyes and black veins subsided, and the anger lessened. But that didn't stop the disappointment coming to his hazel ones. "It's hard to ignore the realization of what you've done, brother. How do I not know you would come after our sister and take advantage of her when my back is turned?" _

_With the white oak stake near his chest, he was prompt for spitting out ideas. "I could make you a deal." _

"_Your deals are as good as nothing, Niklaus. You tend to break promises when it's more convenient for you." _

"_I'll swear on our vow, Elijah." _

_Those six words gave Elijah pause. _

"_You're lying…" His statement came out more like a question than a declaration, his grip tightening around the white oak stake. _

"_I wouldn't lie about this; as much as I have sinned in the past." Klaus confessed, swallowing and eyeing the stake in his brother's hand. As much as Klaus had the wolf advantages, Elijah also evened it out. He had much more experience with fighting then his younger brother, thus leveling an even playing field. _

"_You will swear on our vow that Rebekah will have her freedom. You will swear that she is free to live whatever life she chooses, regardless of what we would want for her. That you will also abide by her wishes no matter what." _

"_I swear on our vow,__** always and forever**__."_

_Elijah had removed the stake from his chest while Klaus took away the dagger. However, Elijah wasn't finished. He left a final warning. _

"_Rebekah will have her freedom. And if I ever find out or see you putting a hand on our sister again, I will make sure you will never see the light of day again. Do not test me."_

* * *

Klaus couldn't help the taunting words slipping from his mouth. His cold stormy eyes narrowed at his sister's form, frowning at the display of familial affection between her and Elijah. Watching her getting ready to ride off into the sunset of her new "human" life was chuckle worthy at best. Still, it was enough to make him vomit.

Even with his vow to Elijah, he still had his doubts about Rebekah. Her surviving out there in the human world successfully without him was slim.

"Niklaus," Elijah warned him, facing him with a serious glare. "Have you come to say our sister goodbye properly or are you going to continue on with these petty paybacks like a child?"

"You still can't possibly believe that she will even have a chance?" Klaus scoffed, showing his skepticism.

"I believe in her, brother. That's enough."

"It's not going to be enough for her to survive on just wishful thinking alone," Klaus pointed out, frustration leaking into his tone bit by bit. "You could be sending her to her death."

It was silent for a few moments before Rebekah finally broke the silence, stepping away from the safety of Elijah's arms, facing her other brother directly. "Oh, now you care, Nik? The sentiment is too little too late."

Ah, so now she finally stopped hiding behind Elijah. Then again, Rebekah had never been afraid of standing up against Klaus. Even as a human, the stubbornness from before as a vampire still remained. She had a lot of bravery going for her, standing up to him multiple times knowing what would piss him off. It was almost entertaining in a way.

"All I am saying is that if she is going off of her own, she's going to need a plan."

"I already had a plan, Nik. I had a plan long before you even knew I had one." Rebekah replied coldly, crossing her arms in annoyance. "I'll admit it. I am not the most patient woman in the world. I tend to get impulsive, but when it came to something I truly wanted, I became smart. I watched and learned. At least one good thing came from being imprisoned with you all this time and watching you."

The way she spoke of him - the disdain in her voice - cut him inside in a way it hadn't in previous times. The disdain now had a finality added to it, and it wasn't good. He always believed that his sister's loyalty would never waver. No matter how much water there was under the bridge, she would always come back to him. She had always needed her big brother. Despite all the issues and drama, he's her brother at the end of the day. But the way she spoke now...it sounded like the end.

While he didn't visibly show it, her words had cut through him.

"What is this thing that you would risk everything and leave the safety of your family?" he forced himself to ask.

Rebekah shot him a look of annoyance before releasing a heavy sigh. "It's been the same thing since I was a child, Nik. I want a home, a family. I want someone to love me...and I want to live. To live and be free is worth everything."

Klaus' body went rigid. He could clearly see Rebekah, but he couldn't move a muscle. That would mean he would have to react to the situation. He would have to deal with the consequences. He didn't know that leaving him and Elijah would be so worth it for her? Is there family truly that broken? Was he that much of a plague to be avoided?

But deep down he knew the truth.

He could see it in her face; the swirl of emotions in her face told it all. She was angry, but there was a sorrow that escaped to the surface, bubbling underneath. For the first time since all of this cure disaster, he could see the vulnerable girl that had hid beneath the raging vampire she'd been before. The outer shell wasn't there anymore. Her inner humanity and vulnerability would show more, he knew.

In her words, the determined finality was something he would never forget. "Nik...I am leaving. And I am never coming back."

She finally said it. What he had been dreading to hear ever since his fight with Elijah. A storm of rage and frustration brewed within his head, and it took all his willpower to stand still. "This is your final choice then?"

"We are far too broken to be together anymore. We are barely a family anymore, Nik. More like a volatile mix of ingredients that could make a bomb implode. Besides, you don't need me here. Elijah will no doubtedly stay with you and whatever you choose to pursue. You will at least have him. But after today, you lost me...forever."

Klaus could have said anything. He could have apologized for his actions. He could have begged her to stay and work things out between them, but he was too prideful to ever admit his true turmoil. Too damn prideful.

"Then go…"

He watched his sister's movements, searching for any sign of remorse or regret. However, there was none. She turned her back to Klaus, facing Elijah again as she hugged him one more time. She reached for her backpocket, pulling out a single envelope to give to her brother.

"Give this to Stefan for me." Klaus could hear her whisper.

"I will." Elijah said before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and away from her face. "I've said this too many times before, but please be safe."

"I am going to try, 'Lijah." Rebekah replied with a tearful smile. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Those four words were the last straw for him. He only managed for a few more minutes before Rebekah finally got into her car and drove off out of Mikaelson gates. When she left, it was over. Everything became a blur. All sounds became static. Klaus couldn't hear his brother trying to call for him. He couldn't hear anything. The emotional turmoil within him took over, and Klaus drowned. All of his humanity was buried by the rage of the wolf taking over. All that was left was the Original Hybrid.

And he ran. He ran towards the dark forest, all of his rage and torment making him numb to the usual excruciating pain of shifting. It didn't matter. All he wanted was to get away from everything. Before long, the man that was Klaus was replaced by the strong beast that lurked within him.

Everything was instinct now. No human emotion. No human trivialities. Nothing, but instinct.

Only the wolf remained. He was free for the moment. But later during the night, somewhere in the distance of Mystic Falls, you could hear the mournful howl piercing the night. A brother mourning for the loss of his sister and his past sins.

* * *

So this is what it meant to have freedom.

Driving these last few hours had been indescribable. Her hair whipped behind her as she drove behind the wheel, her music on full blast as she put the miles behind her. Leaving Mystic Falls in the dust was worth every trial and every pain she went through. Goodbye Hell and hello Heaven! Hello freedom!

Rebekah wanted to test her limits on her new human endurance when it came to driving. Her excitement plus her happiness became the fuel for her to keep her eyes on the road. However, she knew it would be best to try not to push too far with herself yet. She still had human needs that required to be met such as sleep and food. It wasn't long though before her hunger to kick in and roared in protest. You wouldn't believe how excited she was to pull through her first greasy food joint by herself and enjoy the heavenly deliciousness that is the cheeseburger. Not to mention - fries. Oh, God, the fries. She pushed it further and got a milkshake last minute before hitting the road again.

The new human paid attention to the signs of where she needed to go. She wanted to get to South Carolina or at least over the border, but her body had other plans.

All of the food she engorged on finally began to digest, prompting a drowsy effect. She couldn't hold back the yawn coming through, and she knew that she should stop somewhere to rest. Coming to that decision, she made her stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pulling her car into the parking lot of a decent hotel, she put it in park, and began to gather her things.

Oh, her latest human obsession? Bubblegum. Lots and lots of gum.

While traveling away from Virginia, Rebekah made a stop to one of the gas stations to fill up her car. Going inside to pay with cash, she couldn't hold back her curiosity and excitement that came from seeing all of the colorful items on display within the store. She almost literally felt like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store, not knowing what in the world what to get. Instead of veering off to the candy section, she kept her focus on paying for her gas. But that was when it was all over.

There wrapped in the shiny pink paper was a pack of the classic bubblegum. She was done for. Let's just say the cashier wasn't shocked to see about ten packs of their gum were gone. He'd seen weirder purchases than that.

She stuffed about five packs of gum into her glove compartment without even looking and the rest of her gum into her personal bag. The classic bubblegum taste became a wonderful little enjoyment for her, keeping her mouth occupied while she was on the road. But now, a nice queen size bed was calling her name.

Gathering her bag and her suitcases, she brought the convertible top down and locked the car for safety. She easily felt the tiredness seeping in after the long day that transpired. All she wanted to do was sleep.

The blonde walked into the lobby of the hotel, taking in the warm color scheme of the hotel and the murmurs of noise of people working. The television was playing the news in the background, nothing worth knowing about anyway.

As Rebekah got closer to the desk, she noticed the pretty brunette who gave her a warm smile as she came through the door. "Hello! Welcome to the Sleep Inn Hotel. My name's Cassie. Do you need a room, ma'am?"

"If you don't mind, love." Rebekah replied politely, setting her things down for a moment of rest.

"Oh yes, we still have plenty available. Will you be the only guest?"

"Yes, it's just me."

"Okay then. And your name please?"

It took a few moments before Rebekah finally came up with something. Deciding not to give her full name, she faked one instead. "Becca Matthews."

"And how long will you be staying?"

"Just tonight." How many more questions are there?

"Alright, Ms. Matthews." Cassie finished typing all of the information on the computer. "One last thing. Will you be paying with cash or card?"

"Cash."

"Alrighty then." While Cassie was a little bit too chatty, she at least got things done quickly. She processed the payment from Rebekah and finally gave her a key. "So this will be your room. It's a single queen, which should be enough. We have a pool outside in case you want to take a swim, wi-fi, and also free breakfast in the morning. Someone will also help you take your bags to your room. If you need help with anything else, please let us know."

"Thank you so much, Cassie."

With that interaction finally over with, she was finally escorted to her room upstairs. The new human could hear the calling of the bed whispering her name. After what seemed like a century later, she was finally in!

"Oh, God!" she yelled in relief as she collapsed on the bed. All that mattered was the precious sleep that was going to await her in a few minutes, which left her with two more things she needed to take care of.

Reaching for her personal bag, Rebekah rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for: a single envelope addressed to her. Her name on the front was written in beautiful handwriting that she didn't recognize.

_Rebekah. _

When she went through her crazy gum moment, she put some of her stash into her glove compartment, finding something new inside. A letter she'd never seen before. Her focus being more on the road, she had put the letter in her bag without much thought, thinking it was something extra from Elijah.

Inspecting it more closely, she knew now that it wasn't Elijah. She inspected it more closely, searching for more details and hints as to who it was. Nothing.

Only one way of finding out.

As her eyes scanned over the words, she couldn't stop the shock and realization of who sent this to her. How in the hell was this possible? How did they not get caught? And what in the hell did they mean about what she knew what was a only fraction? Damn, this was the last thing she needed.

Annoyed and tired, she stuffed the letter back into her bag, more than ready to just go to sleep.

Before heading to bed though, she had one last thing to do.

"Let's hope this is bloody worth it," she muttered, unsure how she was going to even start this. Writing to her of all people was going to be a challenge enough.

She finally finished typing out the text before her body protested again in wanting sleep.

"Finally finished," she muttered, pressing send before finally getting ready for bed. Stripping out of her clothes for just a comfortable shirt and shorts (still new to this wardrobe), she didn't even bother with going with her nightly routine. She jumped straight into bed and was out like a light.

* * *

_The letter to Rebekah: _

_**Rebekah, **_

_**By the time you get this, I will matter little to you in you stepping into this sentimental part of this new life of yours. A life - I will remind you - that could have been better for me if I had been able to give the cure to Klaus instead of you stealing from me. Shame on you. However, in spite of you taking away my last chance of freedom, I do see a silver lining. Without the cure and now you as a mediocre human, he can't use the cure as a tool against me. He's going to be so busy with the one last tidbit of information I gave him that hunting me and going after his sister will be the least of his concerns. Good news for you, right? You should be thanking me, but a girl can dream. For your unorthodox gift, I will give you this warning in return. The world that you think you know: vampires, werewolves, and witches? They're only a fraction of the true danger the big bad world we live in. While you look at your immortality as a curse, it was truly a blessing for you. It gave you protection. It gave you the strength you needed to defend yourself. But then again, when did my point matter to you? Besides, doing the same thing for so long is so boring. It's nice to shake things up. And, you certainly did. **_

_**Best Regards, **_

_**Katerina**_

* * *

_Rebekah's letter to Stefan: _

_**Stefan, **_

_**By the time you get this, I will be long gone. Honestly, I don't know why I am writing this now. Knowing me and my heart, I guess there was a small part of me that still cared. A part of me that still hoped in some way that you would grow to care for me like you had done for Elena. I kept that hope alive for a while underneath all of the glamor of invincibility. That nothing can't get to me. But both of us know the real truth, don't we? You know I am one of the ones who feel the most. I wanted love so badly, willing to do what it took to have it, even if it meant hurting others. I am not going to punish myself for past sins, but I will admit now my priorities have changed. **_

_**The reason I chased love for so long was that I wasn't happy at all. With myself, the situation, or my family. The freedom to make my own choices had been taken away from me for so long, I sought to take others' choices to compensate. It was empty. And foolish. But I didn't care. I guess this is as close to an apology as I am ever going to give. But now, given a choice, I am finally able to pursue my freedom. To be happy again. To have no one bother me again. **_

_**I can't guarantee anything, but I can promise you this. You won't see me again. I will not be involved in my family's schemes anymore. You will have one less Mikaelson to worry about now. I hope that is enough to make up for some of the mess I've made since coming here. **_

_**Best regards,**_

_**Rebekah Mikaelson**_

_**P.S. DON'T let your situation with Elena prevent you from being happy. You are a decent person, Stef. You deserve to be happy. I should know. You made me happy once.**_

* * *

_Rebekah's letter/text to Caroline: _

_**Caroline, **_

_**You're the last person I ever thought of writing to. This is definitely not what I had thought of in advance, but I do know some thanks is in order. I know what you did for my brother. You saved him. As much as I detest my brother at the moment, I am grateful you came to him. Trust me when I say that I know from experience how stubborn and complicated he could be. **_

_**Which leads me to saying this: I am leaving Mystic Falls. You have probably heard already from Stefan or Damon, but I took the cure and it worked. I don't know what your stance was on it, but a girl can tell a few things. While it may put a damper on your "supposed" friend's happiness, you are more relieved it's gone. I don't give compliments away that easily, but you are one of the few people I have seen who suited immortality well. I have a feeling you are going to be one of the few that will be successful unlike others. **_

_**Now, back to Nik. I am leaving town and never returning. One less Mikaelson to think about. As much as I wish I can say that I don't care if he lives or dies, it would be a lie. Despite all the bloody agony he caused me, a fragment of me still wishes that he would be okay. I know that me leaving is going to have an effect. Maybe your new friendship with him will help while I am gone. I don't know. **_

_**Anyway, now I am going to end this before I get too sappy for my own good. From one blonde to another, you weren't so bad. **_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Rebekah Mikaelson**_


	4. GUNSMOKE

**A/n: Hey! I'm sorry about this update being late. It's been kind of crazy these last few weeks with the COVID-19 hitting the USA. Between that and my episode of depression, it left me in a state of procrastination where I didn't want to do anything. I love writing, but sometimes you have to ride out whatever your brain is going through. The COVID-19 thing has everyone on edge a bit. And I am sorry if I sound a bit depressing. I just wanted to give you an explanation. **

**I am also really appreciative of the traction we are getting with the stories. 3 reviews, 8 favorites, and 10 alerts. So far so good, and it is going well. (Honestly, though. I am not proud of this chapter. I just got so sick of getting frustrated with this and I wanted to move on). **

**Don't forget to leave a review or comment. I love to hear all of your feedback. :) **

**BTW: The small role of the female OC I have in here, I see her with the face of Sigourney Weaver. Just giving you a heads up. **

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural or the Originals. They are all property of the CW.**

PART 4: GUNSMOKE

_Present..._

"OH MY GOD! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Rushing over to his side, she bent down, scanning over his body for any wounds.

"I am so sorry," she apologized quickly, her heart still racing. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, no freaking kidding, lady." A gruff voice replied back, grunting in pain a bit as he laid on the ground. His palms laid flat on the asphalt, probably from catching himself. He was laying there on the asphalt, his head turned away from her and hiding his face.

"I am still so sorry," Rebekah apologized again. "Please let me help you up."

"Yeah, that would definitely help," he replied sarcastically, making Rebekah roll her eyes in annoyance.

Though she was annoyed, Rebekah stepped up in taking the blame. It was her fault. Also, she may not have the immortal strength as a vampire, but she was still strong enough to handle a man's body frame...sorta. She walked closer to him, mustering up the strength to get the tall man up. "Look mate, I said I'm sorry. At least you're not dead."

With some effort, they were able to get him off the ground and have him lean against her car. Scanning over him again, he didn't appear to have any serious injuries. Just a few scrapes on his hands and probably a few other places. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Look lady, while I appreciate you not intending to kill me, you still almost-" The man replied before he froze, his grassy green eyes finally meeting hers.

That was when she fully saw him.

* * *

_Throw back the clock nine hours..._

Rebekah didn't waste any time.

Before it was even the end of her stay, she was prompt in making sure she had an early start for her driving. While she wasn't in a hurry, she knew that in order to get where she needed to go, it was going to take time. She had plenty of it now, and it would place her thousands of miles between her and everything she left behind.

The blue ocean called to her, the calming music of the waves lapping against the shore. She saw it perfectly. Beautiful palm trees swaying in the breeze as she would look at the sunset against the orange and red sky. The gentle wind blowing through her blonde waves as she sipped her sweet drink, enjoying everything that her new home would bring.

California.

Throughout her years of traveling with her brothers before her untimely nap in the 1920's, Rebekah had seen a variety of wonders and places. Her brothers, especially Nik, lavished her with all of the best that money could buy: dresses, jewelry, luxury housing that most people could only imagine living in. And yes, it was all fine and well, but money doesn't buy everything.

It couldn't fill the emptiness inside her all these years, no matter how hard she tried. However, she also knew that money also gave you freedom. She wasn't stupid enough to just toss it all aside. She knew going to California was going to be an expensive venture, but it would be worth it in the end. It was all for her happiness and sanity. The farther away she was from her family, the better off she would be. Besides, she thought all of this out ahead.

Traveling now in her car, listening to her music, and letting the wind breeze through her hair was the best antidepressant right now.

**"Whoa! We're halfway there! Whoa! Living on a prayer!"** Rebekah sang along with her music loud and proud with no shame. **"Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear. WHOA!, LIVING ON A PRAYER!"**

And, she was pretty sure she's been making some heads turn to her in passing on the highway like she was insane. Like she gave a damn.

All that mattered was that she was having a good time.

Now, back to business.

For a while now, she had an idea of what direction she'd wanted to go, but couldn't figure out all the details. She wanted to keep traveling south, almost at a leisurely pace since she wanted to see how the US had changed since she'd woken up from her dagger nap. While the wanderlust kept her eager, it was her fear of Silas that kept the excitement at bay. It was hard not to let her anxiety overcome her, but what can she do? She can't stay in her brother's mansion all day and night waiting for Silas to decide her fate.

If she was mobile, it would be harder for him to find her. That's the chance she'll take in a heartbeat.

She'd traveled south for a few hours now, coming up now to Macon, Georgia after taking a southern turn through South Carolina and heading down. The goal for now was to get to Pensacola, Florida within a reasonable amount of time. California was still a good way by car, and with food breaks and stopping at hotels - it was a wonder that she was being patient about this.

But after almost four and a half hours of driving, she was ready to make a stop. And, she knew exactly where to stop.

In a small town called Lizella, there was a safehouse/rest stop that Elijah discreetly mentioned to Nik one day ever in case they needed to escape their father. Rebekah was smart enough to save that little bit of information for a rainy day because that safehouse is what is going to help her be prepared for any action that Silas or hell anyone could take against her, supernatural or not.

Remembering the directions that Elijah had spoken, Rebekah went from driving along the interstate and passing through cities to small towns and country roads. It took a while, but she finally managed to get to her destination. However, there was a catch.

The safehouse belonged to a witch.

Rebekah slowly approached the gravel driveway with her car, scanning for any life outside the safehouse. The safehouse wasn't what she was expecting at all. It was opposite of the usual luxurious Mikaelson style of living she was used to.

The safehouse was actually a farmhouse. It was two stories with white paint on the wooden boards and had a stone foundation at the base. The paint appeared as if repainted, and the foundation looked old and a bit worn. However, it looked solid from top to bottom, and it wouldn't be a surprise if that house could handle any storm. In the distance, she could see wooden fences holding horses and cattle within their pastures, all of the animals making sorts of noises. There was also a red stable in the distance along with a farm in the back. Only one visible truck could be seen in the distance so somebody had to be here.

Rebekah smelled the freshly mowed grass and saw the little stone path that led to the front porch. As she came closer, its open and welcoming atmosphere threw her for a loop. The whole porch gave off the message "Welcome home" in a way that it almost made Rebekah stumble as she came onto the steps. With its two porch swings, cozy outdoor furniture, and even the welcome place mat at the door, she couldn't help but truly wonder if this was the right place.

Knowing there was one way to find out, Rebekah knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

For a long moment, there was no answer. She tried again.

Knock, knock.

Nothing.

Rebekah's temper flared with her patience running thin. Was somebody bloody home or what?

"You better have a damn good reason to be here before I blow you off my porch." A heavy Southern female accent could be heard through the front door. Rebekah couldn't see who she was through with the front window being covered with a curtain on the inside.

"Trust me, I do!" Rebekah replied.

"Bullshit!" the southern woman barked. "I've done enough for you Mikaelsons to last a lifetime."

Ah, so the witch did know her. "So you obviously know me?"

"It's not hard to spot the only girl out of your family. Now, unless you want two shots full of slugs and vervain, I suggest you get off my property now!"

That was when she heard it. The cock of a shotgun.

Come on, Rebekah! Think!

"My brother saved your family's life!" Rebekah spoke quickly as she tried to save her skin. "Many years ago, he saved their lives. In order to repay his thanks, he only asked for one thing: a safe haven from my father: Mikael. And all of her children have been kept watch over this house ever since."

A quiet silence fell over them, pushing Rebekah to keep further.

"I'd also like to think that he's visited a few times to get away from my crazy family. You probably met him when you were even a small child."

"Which would you reckon that Mikaelson would be?"

Oh, that was easy enough. "Elijah."

Rebekah could almost hear the gasp coming from the other side before the heavy sigh following suit. A turn of the doorknob, and the door finally opened revealing someone Rebekah didn't expect at all to be a witch. And not to mention the fact that Rebekah had two black holes of a shotgun staring directly at her.

"Show me your hands." The tall older woman barked roughly, not leaving room for other options.

Rebekah obeyed quietly, desperately trying to hold back the retorts wanting to come up her throat. She didn't want to die after only being human for two days. The humiliation would have been horrible. She raised her hands and waited for the next command.

"Turn around." The older woman spoke again. "Keep going...and stop."

Keeping quiet now was getting tricky. Rebekah bit her tongue, but it didn't help the annoyed expression on her face.

"Turn out your pockets. I want to see everything."

Rebekah followed suit, wondering if this will make it bloody easier in not getting shot by a crazy woman. She turned out her pockets revealing a few items: a pack of gum (not surprised there), her car keys, wallet, pepper spray, and her pocket knife. The blonde watched the other woman's wrinkled and harsh eyes scrutinizing everything. After what seemed forever, the harsh expression lessened, and finally nodded.

"Come on in and follow me."

Wow. That was underwhelming.

Rebekah followed her now inside the house, surprised by the warm and welcoming environment that was so opposite of the woman who lived here. It was definitely evident that there was more than just her living here. The woman who lived in this house had a family and raised them here. Was this truly the supposed safehouse for the deadliest vampire family on Earth? Rebekah would beg to differ.

Finally coming into a kitchen area, the other woman pulled out a stool from the island. "Sit."

Now, Rebekah was really getting annoyed. "Is this going anywhere or am I just wasting my time?"

The old bat (new name for Rebekah to call her) once again was silent with her, the shotgun never leaving her hands the entire time. "You see those items in front of you," she pointed out with the gun. "Will keep it simple for you. Drink the water and then use the knife across your skin."

The blonde looked down at the counter in front of her, her eyes almost bulging at the unorthodox request. "You're bloody serious?"

"Do I look like I am kidding around, blondie?" the old bat retorted back. "Just do it."

"Fine."

She eyed the glass of water for a few seconds, wondering if she could tell if the crazy lady (another name now) had poisoned it. She couldn't tell. The knife beside it gleamed in the light, the odd shape on the metal catching her eye. What appeared to be a five-pointed star stood subtly, making Rebekah question what the hell did she get herself into.

Pushing back her doubts, she took a sip of the water, her taste buds catching salty flavor in the water. She spat out the water, glaring at the woman across from her. Finally getting to the knife, she made a quick cut to her arm, grunting slightly as blood slowly came to the surface.

"Well, happy now?" Rebekah growled.

"Not happy. Satisfied, yeah."

Finally setting the shotgun down, Rebekah finally was able to get a better glimpse of her instead of staring at the glaring shotgun the entire time. The owner of the house was tall and lean like she'd been working her entire life; lightly tanned skin as another indicator. She had short brown wavy hair that fell around the edges of her cheekbones, a few gray streaks here and there from age. The harshness in her light brown eyes was something that Rebekah had seen before. She'd experienced it herself. How the world could be cold and not what it appears to be. The weary wrinkles around her eyes only emphasized more of her story; lived on this earth long enough to see things you would regret.

"Name's Flo. And you don't need to tell me your name. I already know." Flo stated, taking the items away from the counter and putting them in the sink. "You're Rebekah Mikaelson, Elijah's sister."

And that was when Rebekah snapped, her patience finally gone. "You could have bloody told me this five minutes ago?!"

Rebekah's irate response didn't faze Flo at all. In fact, she was expecting this. "There is more than one reason why your brother values this land as a safehouse for you and your family. It wasn't just my home, but the knowledge within it that makes this place valuable."

"Doesn't the knowledge you have pertain to magic?"

"Somewhat, yes. My mother was the one who was a witch, and my father knew ways of fighting the supernatural. While I don't have magic in my blood, I have the brain for spells and other occult things to help me have an edge against things that bump in the night."

As she sat there listening, Rebekah couldn't help her doubts about all of this. This was still sketchy. "Was this why you had me do all those silly things?"

"They're not silly, blondie." Flo remarked. "Each of the items you used were for a purpose."

"My name is not "blondie". It's Rebekah! And can damn well explain them to me before I walk out the door?"

For the first time since their whole encounter, the ends of her mouth grew into a knowing smile. It definitely wasn't a smile that made the new human at ease. It creeped her out.

"How about I just show you?"

Indicating to follow her, Flo led Rebekah to a door, opening it and leading them to a descending staircase. Padding down the stairs, they finally came down to the basement. Cinder block walls wrapped around the room like a grey prison. Against one wall closest to the stairs, many bookshelves lined up against the wall with strange books that appeared to be older than _her. _She automatically assumed it was that knowledge that Flo mentioned before. There was a desk close by to the books with a living area not too far either; with an old sofa and a couple of chairs. There was a small kitchen area with a dining table and a pantry. Another door led to a bathroom. Another area was dedicated to a sleeping area with bunk beds and a closet right next to it for storage.

It could hold a group of people in case of a crisis.

"How long did this take to build?" she asked in wonder.

"Long enough. It wasn't until a couple years later the house was finally done. Either way, if your crazy ass father decided to wreak havoc, he would have a hard time. Him not being invited onto the property is a plus."

"What was it that you were going to show me?" Rebekah prompted her before the subject changed.

"Oh." Flo muttered, closing her eyes to think. "Where did I put that damn thing?"

The crazy old bat kept muttering to herself until she walked over to the corner of the room, bringing over a heavy chest and setting it in front of Rebekah. She went to the corner again, grabbing another chest to put beside the previous one. "Are you afraid of guns?"

"No, I'm not."

"Do you know how to handle them?"

"The basics just about."

"Then I think we are going to get along just fine."

Opening the chest, Rebekah's eyes widened. All different kinds of firearms sat there in the chest before her: handguns, shotguns, a crossbow, stakes, silver knives. It was a ton. And the other chest was opened, revealing boxes of ammo. Damn, was she going to war?

"Bloody hell…" she muttered in shock.

"This is one of the weapons hunters can use in fighting the supernatural. Definitely helps to put bullets into something. The things you know: werewolves, vampires, witches - there are only some of what you truly know." The brunette explained, grabbing one of the pistols from the trunk. She checked the magazine and the chamber of the pistol, making sure it wasn't loaded before handing it to Rebekah. "Do you know how to handle this properly?"

Rebekah observed the black pistol in her hand, the weight of it feeling solid in her hand. As much as Nik would have loved for her to stay weak and rely on him, she wasn't going to let him. When she had enough time, the blonde volunteered for the firearm classes over at the station back in Mystic Falls. Sheriff Forbes surprisingly kept it secret for reasons unknown. Rebekah was lucky Nik didn't find out. She'd been sucking up all kinds of knowledge like a sponge.

"Always check to make sure if the gun is loaded or not in both chamber and magazine. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction away from people unless you are shooting a target. Keep my finger off the trigger while holding it and make sure nothing is obstructing the barrel and chamber. Fire the gun at monsters, not people, right?"

Flo nodded, somewhat impressed that there is some hope for her. "Congrats, kid. Your chance of survival went from slim to maybe."

"And I take it that you're trying to help me out of some oath from my brother?" the blonde asked, her skepticism slipping into her tone.

"I'm just giving you the tools to survive and it's up to you where you go from here. Your brothers can't protect you from everything. You might as well use the basic knowledge that can be given to you."

"Tell me what the items were for." Rebekah reminded her.

"The salty water hurts demons. Salt and holy water makes demons' skins sizzle like an egg on hot concrete. You've got plenty in the arsenal to kill or trap demons. Devil's traps, bullets, and a few other tricks can do the job." Flo explained, grabbing her phone, swiping through pictures before coming to the devil's trap symbol.

Rebekah gasped at the picture. The same five-pointed star from the knife.

"Demons? Seriously?" she asked skeptically, mentally slapping herself for sounding like her other blonde enemy right now. Why did she have to sound like Caroline?

"Seriously. And that's not the tip of the iceberg. And trust me, they're not the only thing that wants to tear you into meat chunks." Flo pointed out as she reached for the silver knife from before after stashing it in her pocket. "Silver damages a good amount of monsters. Mostly werewolves, skinwalkers, and shapeshifters. Don't get me started on those. Those little fuckers are creepy, but yeah. Silver can fry their skin, and it's not a pretty sight."

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Where in the hell was all of this coming from?

"The werewolves I know don't have silver as a weakness. Now, wolfsbane on the other hand is deadly to them, but not silver. However, I've never heard of skinwalkers or shapeshifters."

"I'm a little surprised your family hasn't made an encounter with them for as long as y'all have lived."

"Well being an Original has its perks." Rebekah replied.

"Obviously it didn't for you since you gave it up."

With those words, Rebekah's mind became blank for ideas of a witty retort or comeback. She shouldn't have been shocked that Flo would have some knowledge of her situation beforehand. Being human was taking a while to get used to. She wasn't used to being on the same level as most people. "So you know?" her voice lost partial strength.

Seeing this vulnerability in Rebekah's eyes, Flo's heart softened just a bit. Right now, she wasn't seeing the Original she'd known before. She saw a young and vulnerable girl, trying with all her might to have a new chance at life. A refresh.

"I know enough." The female hunter replied vaguely with a small smile. "From enough from your brother to know that you need to be ready for any situation. Personally, I'm glad you left."

Now that was an answer she didn't expect. "You think so?"

"Well yeah. No one should be cooped up forever and deal with people's crap just because they're family. There's only so much a person can take. Now...let's see if we can get you ready to go."

* * *

_Back to the present... _

He leaned against the frame of her car, even scrapped up and roughed up from her first murder attempt as a human, his good looks were enough to smack you in the face.

And boy, did they smack into her.

His eyes are what caught her attention first. The golden-green in his eyes reminded her of the rich green grass from the fields and meadows from her childhood many years ago. They were brighter and captivated her than Stefan's forest green eyes ever did before.

Then she saw the rest of him. And boy, this man was no joke.

He stood taller than her with her 5'5 height, reminding her of the neverelenting fact of how her brothers towered over her. Cropped light brown hair covered his head. She could see his lightly tanned skin underneath the layers of flannel and dark blue jeans he had. His strong yet lean frame was enough to handle anything from Rebekah's guess. She couldn't help, but admire it.

In other words, he was delicious.

However, the admiration changed into confusion experiencing the whiplash of the man's emotions. His previous annoyed expression before shifted into a mischievous and even flirtatious smirk with those sinful lips.

Oh, hell.

He was hot.

And, she had a feeling that he was coming onto her or he may be hit his head harder than she anticipated.

"Did you lose your ability to speak when I almost hit you or what?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, no, I didn't. I just didn't see my rescuer until now and...well who says I can't fully appreciate her?" he answered her with a question of his own.

It was this moment where she really had to hold the urge to slap her face in embarrassment. Bloody hell, she desperately hoped she didn't pick up a creep.

"That all depends on what context you mean."

She waited for his answers with narrowed eyes, her mind going through quick plans in her head on how to make a quick getaway if he tried to pull something. She was fully aware of the knife she had hidden in the back pocket of her pants. Rebekah had to be extra careful with her immortal strength not in her arsenal anymore.

But much to her surprise, that wouldn't have to be the case.

"I'd love to start with your name first," he replied with his smirk changing more into a smile, showing off his almost perfect teeth. Damn, that beautiful smile.

Okay, she can deal with a name.

The situation diffused a bit now, it enabled Rebekah to relax for a moment. A small smile graced her lips as she stuck out her hand for him to shake.

"Becca Matthews. And you are?"

He brought his hand to meet hers with a solid grip, bringing all of his features closer for her to see, only solidifying her observations earlier. He was hot and beautiful. Did that even make any sense?

Little did she know that this man's name would just be the beginning.

"Dean Winchester. Pleasure's all mine."


	5. DEAN

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or SPN. They are the property of the CW. This is purely for fun and entertainment for me. **

PART 5: DEAN

_**Lizella, Georgia**_

It was later in the evening. Hours had passed since her encounter with the newly human Rebekah Mikaelson, and Flo had thought she'd seen enough in this crazy world as a hunter. Sitting in her living room, Flo decided to catch up on some reading on any knowledge that could help her against the new threat. It had been a while since she nursed a drink, but what the hell. Today had been enough to make her want to drink the rest of her day away.

Hours before Rebekah came onto the property, Elijah had given her a call for the first time in years. If he called her, it was a red flag.

He relayed the whole story about Rebekah and the cure. How she took it and now Silas - the most powerful immortal - was going after her. She learned every detail he could possibly give her, and damn. It made her brain hurt.

But what hurt her more was her heart. The old hunter's heart ached with regret knowing of the possibility of leaving her family behind with Silas going after anyone who helped Rebekah. However, there was hope. All of her children were grown and had families of their own away from the farm. Her husband already died three years before from complications with cancer, and both of them already accepted that when that time came. In the end, Florence Williams was old and tired. If she had to die, let her die. At least she will go down fighting.

Being a bookworm helped a lot if you were raised in the hunter lifestyle. Having a library in your head about most of the lore and what to do with certain monsters can save your life. It helped Flo with a few close calls in her line of work. It is still a surprise she managed to live this long, especially being able to have a family of her own. The Williams family bloodline will still continue, but she would be happy if her children didn't make the choice of being a hunter. It's not for everyone.

But as she read through her book about vampire lore, something was bugging her. When it came to the knowledge of vampires, the basics are simple enough. They're immortal monsters who suck on the blood of humans or animals if they so choose. The older the vampire, the stronger they are. Vampires also can only come out at night and cannot stand being in sunlight. They had the same standard weaknesses: decapitation and dead man's blood are usually a hunter's killing-vampires-kit. These were the basics she knew, but all of that changed when she met Elijah Mikaelson.

After he saved her and her siblings from drowning as a child, it threw all the knowledge she knew about vampires to the wind. Elijah Mikaelson was definitely a vampire, but not the same as the ones as her own father taught her. He was another kind, and it threw Flo and her family into unknown territory.

Her father - Paul Williams - was a stubborn and simple man, but he was open minded, which was rare with his line of work. He knew of the advantage he could have with having a powerful ally in his back pocket. And Elijah saw the value of having a safe escape for his family if his father decided to show up. In repayment for saving his children from death, Paul offered not only his house but also his knowledge as well. However, Elijah would have to do the same and reveal the secrets of his kind to him. Fortunately, it was enough of a deal.

As risky as it was, Elijah told her parents the basics. Elijah and his siblings were once humans, but their mother used an immortal spell to turn them in vampires. The Originals. They had about all the same witnesses except for a few add-ons. Apparently, werewolf venom and a plant called vervain that bloomed in the state of Virginia were deadly towards them. And the only thing that can kill them is the white oak state made from the original tree used for the spell to make them immortal.

After hearing this knowledge later on in life, Flo made a call to a mutual acquaintance who can help her with organizing all of this.

Back a few years ago, she made a call to an old friend in South Dakota. Bobby Singer. Even in her own town, all sorts of strange things were going on. More monsters kept coming out of the woodwork, and she along with her husband and two boys kept putting them down. Flo called Bobby to see if there was anything he knew about the situation. Bobby didn't know everything, but he gave her enough to know that it was a whole new level of weird. Not only that, but he threw another fun fact to her.

The vampires had an _alpha_. A damn Alpha Vamp. And what was worse?

They'd dealt with a Shapeshifter Alpha too.

That alone was enough to make her finish half a bottle of whiskey while trying to talk to Bobby, making Flo's late husband question what the hell was going on. Long story short, shapeshifters were the one monster that creeped the hell out of Flo the most. Everything about them, especially them...shedding their skin made her skin crawl.

Anyway, Bobby and a group of his people had been dealing with some monsters who were trying to raise their original creator back to life. The Mother of All. Eve. God, when she heard this, she first thought this was something along the lines of a bad joke. Bobby wasn't kidding, though. With this little nugget of knowledge, it opened another door to a realm she never thought to hear: Purgatory. A place where all the monster souls go when they die. It was safe to say that Flo took notes.

From the notes she gathered over the years, she organized them in a way she could understand.

_**Eve created her children: The Alphas.  
**__**You have Alpha Vampire, Alpha Shiftshifter, and Alpha Werewolf (also assuming there were more for other monsters too.  
**__**All of those alphas created more of their species: common lower-tier monsters that would answer their alpha's call.  
**__**The common monsters would now feed on humans or add more to their population.  
**__**Name for them: First Children. **_

Then she had notes for the Originals:

_**Esther Mikaelson - a witch - used an immortality spell to make her children vampires.  
**__**As the Originals, most vampires come from their line and so on and so forth.  
**__**They are six of them: Finn, Elijah, Niklaus (need to write another section for him), Kol, and Rebekah.  
**__**Mikael is also an original vampire too.  
**__**Niklaus is part werewolf making him a hybrid (need more notes on him later).  
**__**While they have the same weaknesses as their lower counterparts, it doesn't hurt them as much.  
**__**Only one thing that can kill them: a white oak stake.  
**__**Appears to be another kind of vampire. Call them: Second Children.**_

By separating these two categories, Flo began to understand to differentiate the two. She mostly ran into the First Children vampires that wanted to go overboard with their bloodlust. Those had to be put down. Every now and then, she could detect one of the Second Children, but it was rare. But when Elijah called her recently and told her about the situation with Silas, that was another curveball she wasn't expecting.

_**Silas - What we know.  
**__**Originally a witch.  
**__**Lived before the Originals, (presumably)  
**__**He and another witch - will not write name b/c it's too damn complicated - create an immortality spell. **__**Intended to use it for his lover and not the other witch.  
**__**Angry witch punished him and all of this led him to make a choice of being with her or rotting on an island with cure.  
**__**Cure was taken and Silas woke up and was loose.  
**__**And now, Rebekah drank the cure, becoming mortal.  
**__**Silas' location is unknown.**_

_**His powers include:  
**__**Illusions  
**__**Super-strength  
**__**Changing appearances  
**__**Compelling  
**__**Super-speed**_

_**QUESTION:**__** HOW IS THIS ALL CONNECTED?**_

If the Alphas and the Originals were both the first to start their creative species, where did Silas fit in all of this? If Silas is in fact immortal like a vampire, where did that immortality come from?

First Children vampires get it naturally through the natural turning process from their sire to the alpha vamp. The Originals got it from Esther who got it from a spell.

Where did she get the spell? More importantly, where did it come from?

Now, Flo was on track. Browsing through the stack of books on her coffee table, she finally picked up the text she needed. The book was worn and its pages were yellowed with age, and it's a wonder that it lasted all this time. But she found what she was looking for.

**_Immortality is eternal life, being exempt from death; an infinite existence. In most religious contexts, immortality is often stated to be one of the first promises of God (or other deities) to human beings who show goodness or else follow divine law._**

It was then she felt as if she were hit with a stack of bricks. The idea was so obvious. The immortality spell had to be created. It had to come from somewhere. Why not come from the most powerful omnipotent being known to man? If this was truly what she thought it meant, then there was way more to the Silas situation than she thought.

Time passed late into the night as she wrote more further notes down in her journal, sipping the last of her whiskey before the inevitable would come. It won't be long now.

She heard a knock on the door. It's go time.

"It's open," she called out.

The door creaked open, heavy footsteps came through the threshold and the door closed again. The familiar sound of work boots scraping against the hardwood floor halted her heart. There was a humming tune in the air that brought old memories she'd almost forgotten. No way...it couldn't.

"Hiya, Flossy." That deep and rough voice always brought her comfort and made her heart skip a beat.

She stood up from the couch, turning around to see the intruder with her brown eyes widening.

"Clay…" his name slipped out of her mouth almost like a prayer.

Clayton. Her late husband. The stupid man she loved too much. While he was old, he was still the silver fox she remembered. His graying hair still fell to his shoulders, some of the same annoying pieces falling in his face and she would have to move them away every time. His tanned skin was worn and leathery, but she liked it that way. Showed how much of a providing man he was with their family. He had the same mossy green eyes that had a positive spark to them, telling her everything would be okay. His mustache was always the same too. No matter how old he was, he was good looking until the day he died.

"You look good," he said with his gravely drawl, taking slow steps towards her.

Her brown eyes shifted up and down at Clay, realizing that he was still in the outfit that he was buried in. He didn't want his funeral to be all formal and stuffy so he requested to be buried in the simple outfit he wore the day that Flo and Clay got married. Blue jeans with his favorite belt and a button up shirt with his cowboy boots. And not to mention his hat.

"So do you…" she breathed out, not sure what to make of it.

"Well," he prompted her, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Hell yeah, she did.

"How are you even alive?" Flo questioned him.

"I don't know. Just saw this flash of light, and there I was. And, I just tried to find my way home...back to you."

"Back to me…" It sounded like it would be a dream come true to have him back again. God, she would have loved that. "If only."

"I'm still here, aren't I? Don't you want your husband back?" her husband asked, coming closer towards her again by the couch.

"Trust me, dear. More than anything I want you back, but there's a problem." Flo explained, backing up slowly to the other end of the couch, grabbing the shotgun hidden from sight. She raised the shotgun at Clay, ramming the pump back to load. "You can't bring someone back from the dead if they're cremated."

The character that was Clayton slipped, and something else came into the fold. The "Clayton" imposter shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Got to give it to you, at least you're not stupid like the others I've dealt with," he spoke with Clayton's voice, partially creeping the female hunter, but she shook it off.

"Silas, I presume," she stated, letting it finally out and into the air.

Silas as her dead husband gave a mock bow. "The one and only."

"The least you can do is show me your real face before you end me."

"Ahh, but that would ruin the surprise though." The immortal made a step closer, sitting himself comfortably in the old recliner not too far from the fireplace. Clayton's old chair. Watching him sitting there in his place, Flo's trigger finger was itching to shoot him to bits. "But I suppose then you already know you're about to die, I can give in this one time."

"Better than taking impersonating my husband, you slimy son of a bitch."

She watched the brief flash of annoyance in his face before the visage of her Clayton shifted. The old hunter steeled herself not to shy away from the transformation. _Soon, _she thought to herself. _I'm going to see you soon, sweetheart. _

The visage ended before and her Clayton was gone. But the man in the chair now...this was Silas?

She had to admit. She expected this character of Silas to be more of a beast than a handsome young man in front of her. If it weren't for the overwhelming sense of dread and power she could feel from those eyes staring at her, she'd thought he was just a young man just starting in life. But those eyes...the look in those electric green eyes said it all.

"Now, come on Flo. I've been nice to you all this time. The least you can do is at least make me a drink before you die." Silas' voice now changed to a smoother tone, still creeping her out with the fake niceties underneath. The powerful immortal pouring himself a drink of her favorite whiskey made her trigger finger even more ready to blast him. "Wow, you definitely have good taste. At least some humans are not all useless."

Sitting in Clayton's chair was one thing, but this son of a bitch drinking of her deceased husband's whiskey? Nope. That broke the camel's back.

She pulled the trigger twice, sending two shots of slug round blasts to the immortal's chest.

"How about we get to the part where I blow your brains out and I can finish drinking my whiskey in peace?" she growled back, taking one cautious step closer with her shotgun ready, waiting for him to pounce.

Flo knew it wouldn't do any good, but it felt damn good to get the anger out. Still fruitless, but worth it before she came to her end. The two shots left ugly and bloody wounds on Silas' chest, oozing blood as it marked his clothes and dripped to the floor. But the immortal was unfazed, but Flo knew this wouldn't do much to him. But it was enough to buy some time.

"Ow, Flo. And here I was, trying to be giving today and allowing you to see your husband at least one last time before I was finished with you. But now, I'm after the way you graciously hurt me after what I gave you...I guess I am not going to be so nice after all." He finally got up from the chair, the almost humorous expression from his face dropped and the look of the intelligent monster Flo was familiar with came to light. "Now, you know where my troublesome problem is. And you're going to tell me."

"She's long gone, Silas," she replied. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

"There better be something you can do or otherwise your grandchildren are going to be lambs to the slaughter."

Two more shots rang out, the hunter's anger finally coming out in a full rage. "You lay one finger on their heads and you'll-"

"_**Freeze, Flo." **_

Like invisible steel cables controlling her movement, Flo couldn't fight the iron will he had over her body. Her body obeyed him and all her strength couldn't make it budge. Her heart hammered in her chest as he came closer to her.

"_**Now drop the gun."**_

The gun clattered to the floor with a thud and all Flo could do is stand there, her brown eyes burning with rage as he dug into his pocket, taking out a familiar picture of her grandchildren all smiling at her. Her babies.

"Hmm, they are beautiful kids." He commented, looking down at them almost smiling.

"You won't find them." The hunter gritted out.

"I beg to differ."

Before she could argue, a small group of people came through the door. Goosebumps rose along her skin as she saw them gather by Silas, two of them also binding her arms behind her as a preventive measure. She was pushed to the floor, forcing her on her knees. But what chilled her insides when a familiar smell hit her nose.

Rotten eggs.

Sulfur.

And the hot breath of a growling hellhound fanning her face.

"Now do you believe me?" Silas asked, waiting for her true reaction to show.

Flo did all she could to fight the tears in her eyes, fearing the worst for her family. Allowing one moment of vulnerability, she allowed the first few tears to flow. "Yes…"

The hellhound in front of her growled loudly, so ready probably to rip the hunter into shreds. "Do you have your mutt under control?" Silas asked. "I don't want your dog killing her before I can get my answers."

"It's not our fault that the damn mongrel is always hungry." One of the demons argued, struggling to hold back the hellhound with some sort of an invisible chain rattling against the floor. "How about we just get a move on already and feed her to him?"

And with that, Silas had enough. Snapping his fingers, the demon's vessel began to burn up in flames, turning black and charred as the poor possessed man screamed from the pain. But what made Flo paused was not seeing the black smoke coming out. All the hunter could do was watch as the body fell to the ground in a blackened heap.

"Why is he not smoking out?"

"A security measure." Silas answered. "To make sure I know where all of my associates are going. I can do this on my own."

"Did you compel them?"

"No, they came willing, but they had to fulfill a few conditions. I was going to give you all the details, but I can't do that now, can I? Since you were so rude earlier." Digging into his pocket, he took out a scrap of familiar clothing and brought it to the hellhound. The deep growling emanated through the room before the dog took a few deep sniffs. "Find them and make sure they pay their dues."

Two hot sniffs later, the hellhound howled in response, finally beginning to do what he was trained for. Sniffing out the one who sold their souls to hell. Flo's eyes widened when she finally recognized the piece of cloth in Silas' hand. One of her grown children's clothes.

One of her own children damned themselves to hell.

Oh Jesus.

She tried all her might to swallow the heavy weight in her throat. She tried to remain strong. She had to. She needed to give Rebekah enough time. And after all, Flo didn't have long anyway. The hunter could hold it out a little longer.

The hellhound handlers left leaving her, Silas, and his group of his lackeys within the room.

"You know how hellhounds are, Flo. Very hard to deter off the path. Only a few things can. Now, you do have a choice." Silas forced her the hunter to look him straight in those cold forest eyes of his, looking for the fear and possibly her breaking. It was her children. She had to give in, right? To save them? "Your children's safety for Rebekah's location. That's all you need to do."

It didn't take long for Flo to choose.

"I'll give you your answer." Flo replied slowly, exhaling slowly to prepare for what was to come. She had to have faith that her children were resilient enough to evade the demons. She had to have faith that one day, Rebekah could possibly return the favor that Flo did for her. **"You can go to hell."**

With one last "fuck you" to Silas, the hunter hacked back and spat in the immortal's face.

Disgusted and now furious, green fire burned in Silas' eyes, done with the niceties and the false mask of kindness. "Fine, have your way then." Then he nodded to one of his henchmen. "They can send you there first."

With that, it didn't take long for her. The hunter felt it all. Hell of a lot of pain, but it was welcomed. The bite of the cold steel stung multiple times, but the haze of her life slipping was an easy one. It would only be temporary for the relief that she had faith was going to come.

She knew in order to put the things in motion to stop Silas, most likely her death would be minor in the grand scheme of things. Flo's bets were now on the new human Mikaelson and hopefully...maybe even the only other two hunters that could have a chance of taking him down.

They're going to need all the help they can get. She's out of here.

* * *

Damn her. Damn the hunter. Damn the Mikaelsons. Damn every one of them to hell! They just had to mess up everything. Everything he had planned for thousands years, all of it gone in a puff of smoke.

His cure. His damn cure now within one of the last few people in the world. Rebekah fucking Mikaelson.

Angry did not even begin to describe how much havoc he was ready to let loose. And oh, he did. He began his search in Mystic Falls, trying to get a hint as to where to start to get back what was stolen from him. His cure was his only means of getting back to Amara. Getting back to his love. With what he was now, he and Amara were forever separated. So now, you would probably understand why he was royally pissed.

And oh, how he enjoyed mentally fucking all of their heads, especially Elijah and Klaus. Klaus was his favorite one to mess with. Double dose of hitting the hybrid's battered conscience with his sister and the supposed one who he has seen to take a liking to. Although he didn't like to shift his image as a female, the look on his face when the supposedly strongest creature was fooling him the entire time and was the cause of his pain. Priceless. And worth it.

And oh, he didn't stop there. He messed up with Caroline Forbes too, just to get his aggression out and make her feel the end of his frustration. It was fun messing with these boring people of Mystic Falls. His real work resided beyond this small town.

"What do you want us to do?" the demon asked, breaking the immortal from his thoughts.

Looking around him, there was nothing else useful. His lackeys gathered everything he needed, and seeing all of the "happiness" and "family atmosphere" in this place made him sick. No point in wasting time. Seeing the dead body of the hunter, he swore he could see the barely noticeable smirk in her dead face. It mocked him.

Silas only spoke three words. "Burn it down."

* * *

This was definitely not what she expected for the first chapter of her new life as a human.

Picking up handsome hitchhikers on her way to Florida was definitely not in her plans either. Before she let him inside her car, she laid down a few ground rules. Leaving Flo's house left her a bit on edge. "Rule one, you put all of your things in the trunk. No arguing about it. Two, you keep your hands to yourself. Rule Three, I have control over the music so it would do us both good if we just relaxed and enjoyed the ride."

"And should I ask what would happen if I broke the rules?" Dean asked, breaking out his devilish grin.

Rebekah returned a sweet smile in return, displaying her new best friend in her hands. A silver and black pistol. Perfect for concealed carry. "You try to pull a fast one on me, and I shoot your balls off."

"Hey, if it helps you that much." Dean reassured her, walking over to the trunk of the car, tossing his backpack on top of it and bringing out his own gun too. He buried his hands into his pockets, emptying them to show to her. "I'm clean."

Surprised that this was going well, she resumed speaking. "Go ahead into the car, and I'll take you where you need to go."

"No problem." Dean replied, heading over to the passenger side and getting in.

Unlocking the trunk, the top came open and she heaved the heavy backpack and gun to the inside. Her own trunk was loaded with her belongings and now her own small bag of weapons to keep on her. With her heading to California and possibly setting to her new home, she had to be careful with people. Not bringing any suspicion to herself will help her to blend in.

Shaking off any doubts, she closed the door and headed over to the driver's side.

"So, do you like the top up or down?"

* * *

In the first hour of driving to Florida, it was a little bit awkward, but not too badly to where it was sufferable. Dean Winchester was surprisingly not bad to ride with. He cooperated and respected her boundaries with little trouble. While chatty and flirty earlier, he kept to himself for a little while, leaving the music playing as her company. Most of the time, he would keep his eyes on the passenger window letting the road pass him by. Other times though, she could feel his eyes on her for a moment before turning back to the window or looking straight ahead. He decided to let the top up on her car, which was kind of a relief because she was tired of having her hair knotted up from the windy blowout.

With Rebekah's little bit of exposure into the world of hunters, she kept her eyes opened to a lot more now. While not a hunter herself, she's able to observe when a man is trying to find any weaknesses. There was a subtle hint of paranoia in those green eyes that she was familiar with.

As far as she could tell, he looked human and acted human. Still though, she had to keep an eye out. He could be a hunter, and she thought of that when she saw him further up close. But she had to be sure.

Flo's advice remained burned in her skull after her rushed class of Hunting for Dummies. She had to keep three things on her at all times.

Holy Water. Silver. Salt.

And thankfully, she had all three. However, her stomach had other plans. She was glad she ate something at Flo's and was surviving on a pack of energy drinks in the backseat. Driving all day was getting tiresome, but she knew she wanted to make it a good way before finally reaching Pensacola. And now, she had another passenger to think about.

What better way to get to know someone is through their stomach.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, her stomach growling again almost annoying her. "I could really use some food."

Dean Winchester turned his head toward her, a happy smile pulling at his lips. "You said the magic words, lady."

It didn't take long for them to find a fast food joint and place their order. With it being a drive-in, it gave them some privacy to be able to eat in peace. For not knowing each other long, Dean and her were thinking on the same page ordering both a classic cheeseburger with fries and a milkshake. Dean even added more to his fries with extra chilli and cheese, making even Rebekah's mouth go wide in how much he can eat. At least the atmosphere between them didn't feel so awkward now. The conversations on the ride here were superficial, but pleasant enough to maintain. But after her suggestion, it was safe to say that Dean was smiling around her even more.

Good.

She watched him tentatively, eating her burger slowly as he put multiple packs of salt on his fries, complaining that they didn't put enough on them. She couldn't help the disgust in her face of watching Dean being such a messy eater. And the chili cheese fries weren't making her feel good, giving her slight anxiety of him ruining the seats in her car.

"Here." The blonde handed him a silver fork from her personal bag. "Please use this before you make a huge mess."

Dean gave her a guilty look with his cheeks full of fries and chili, eyeing the fork. Slowly swallowing, he took the fork in his hand and began eating the fries with the utensil. "I'm surprised you passed up on that food combo. They had a special on it."

"I've had enough grease for one day, thank you very much. Besides, with me driving you I can't eat too much. Don't want to be falling asleep behind the wheel." Rebekah explained, taking another sip of her energy drink. She was working on her third one right now, and she knew she couldn't just run on caffeine for the whole trip. Having the extra water was going to be good to balance the caffeine and sugar out. Her body playing catch up after the lack of being human for ten centuries drained her.

"Come on, Bex. One bite isn't going to kill you." Dean suggested, using the plastic force to pick up a glob of cheesy fries.

The use of her old nickname made her paused for a moment, but she shook it off before the hunter noticed.

"Fine, Winchester. If it prevents you from staining the leather seats," she relented. She took the bite quickly, her taste buds picking up the exuberant amount of salt showered on the fries. No doubt one of the first of his tests. Demon or no?

Just to stroke his ego a little bit, she faked coughing in her chest, trying her best to stay straight in her lane while behind the wheel. "Bloody hell, how much salt did you put on this?"

"I'm telling you, that last joint we went to. It didn't have enough salt. I simply fixed it."

"Yeah, tell that to me when you are not in a hospital with diabetes."

* * *

After surviving the salt overload from test one, the second test came later on. Further into the drive, Dean and Rebekah settled into more of a comfortable routine. She settled on the radio for now, messing with the knob until some catchy country station was playing. Much to her brothers' chagrin, she caught a peculiar taste in music. While she was a vampire, sometimes she listened to those sappy and romantic country songs just to escape from her current reality at the time. It helped her to cope.

Now she can listen freely…well for the most part.

_"I can feel the magic floating in the air. Being with you gets me that way. I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've never been this swept away."_ Rebekah sang along on the road, her eyes almost dazed as she enjoyed the song.

Well, she can almost enjoy it with Dean giving those awkward looks like he just confessed an embarrassing secret.

_"All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze. When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms. The whole world just fades away. The only thing I hear is the beating of your heart._"

And now for the final belting out!

_"Cause I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me. And suddenly, I'm melting into you._

_There's nothing left to prove. Baby, all we need is just to be. Caught up in the touch, slow and steady rush. Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be? I can feel you breathe. Just breathe!"_

"Okay, okay! Break time." Dean almost exclaimed, turning the dial down to silence again.

Rebekah turned her eyes to Dean, her blues sharpening into daggers. "What the bloody hell are you trying to do?"

"Come on, lady. Don't you think it's high time we get some real tunes playing?"

"Rule three, Dean. I have control over the music. You sit and grin and bear it til I get you where you need to be. And we still got a while to get there."

Dean rolled his eyes, almost holding a laugh it would seem. "Surely you can take a small request. We've been listening to these chick-flick tunes for how many hours now."

"These "chick-flick" tunes are what I like, Mr. Winchester. Maybe if you have something worthy of trade, I'll consider it. Otherwise, you're on your own."

The hunter frowned. Something told her that he's used to getting his way most of the time. He's going to have to try harder than that. Handsome or no, Rebekah is definitely not going to let this man rain on her parade.

"If you let me change the music, I'll allow you to ask any question you want."

Okay, now that got her attention, but she made the deal sweeter. "Every music request you make, I ask you a question and you answer."

"Same deal applies to you, beautiful."

"Alright then," she agreed. "Make your request, and I'll ask you a question."

It didn't take long for Dean to spout out his first choice. "AC-DC. Surprise me with your taste for classic rock and roll."

"You asked for it then," she warned. The blonde pressed the button on her phone and the phone finally came to life. "Siri, play Thunderstruck by AC-DC."

"**Playing Thunderstruck by AC-DC." **

Out booming from the speakers was the roaring drums, which changed Dean's mood from sour to happy in an instant.

"Hell yeah! That's more like it!" he cheered, breaking out to do some form of air drums while pounding his fists to the beat of the song. "THUNDER!"

"Whenever you are ready to pay your dues, Winchester." The blonde reminded him with an amused smirk. Meh, at least the man won't make things more difficult on this trip.

Dean's happy grin dropped a few levels now to a casual smile. "Whatcha got, beautiful?"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere faster, Winchester, but here goes." Rebekah replied as she rummaged through her mind of what she could ask him. So much to ask about this mystery man.

"What's your reason for heading to Louisiana?" she finally asked.

"I'm heading there as a favor for a friend." The way he spoke of them, she could catch the reverence in his voice. For a split second, Rebekah caught the familiar look she'd seen too many times with her own family. Loyalty to the ones they care about. It was like looking at Elijah while he spoke of their brother.

Memories of her brothers flooded her memory. "He must have been special if you were going to hitchhike all the way to help him."

Dean fell silent. "...yeah. We've been through a lot together."

"What happened?" Rebekah asked before she could hear the words from her mouth.

"Sorry, beautiful." He turned that casual grin again back in the flash, the wall instantly going up. "You owe me a question now...that's if you still want a mini break from the classics."

Shit. He got her. "Bloody hell," she grumbled. "Fine. Siri, play If You Seek Amy by Britney Spears."

With the song streaming through the audio, it didn't take long for Dean to actually surprise her once again. He was actually bobbing his head to the music! What kind of black magic was this?

"I thought my tastes in music for you were too "chick-flick"," she commented.

Dean shook his head. "Nope. Britney Spears is her own level of classic. She's an exception to the rule."

"Glad to know that future reference," she mumbled under her breath.

"Where did you get that bracelet?" Dean finally asked, pointing to the silver bracelet around her right bracelet. It was simple for Rebekah's taste, but she found that she liked it that way. It was a single bracelet molded and shaped to look like an ocean wave, appealing to Rebekah's love for nature and water.

Now, the blonde fell silent now. Trying to keep her eyes on the road, she tried to explain as best she could. "It was a gift from my brother," she began, the words falling out true and honest. "One of his apology gifts after we had one of our spats. He tried to appeal to my taste for finer things, but I was still pissed at him...the bastard. He knew I loved silver. I told him he can bring back this bloody thing where he bought it, but he was too stubborn. I eventually gave in and kept it, even though his old pattern repeated again."

"So that's actual silver?" Dean asked, wondering about the actual quality.

"More like sterling silver, but you get the gist," she replied. "Wanna take a closer look?"

That way she could pass the second test of his.

Dean took the bracelet into his hands, the blonde watching him watching her for any strange signs. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred. No burning. No sizzling. She was clean.

Now, for step three.

* * *

Rebekah was sure now that he suspected her to be a demon. She was alright with the salt and the silver didn't do anything to her (obviously). But now he was gonna give her the final test. She remained vigilant with him...but eventually she was starting to get worn down.

She needed a break. The energy drinks were crashing now.

"Pull over," Dean said. "You're about to pass out."

Too tired to argue with him, she turned on her right signal to get off on the exit. She had enough energy to reach the parking lot of a gas station with no issue, but as soon as she put it in park, her body had enough. The blonde slumped against the backseat, closing her eyes for a moment to rest.

"Come on," Dean urged gently while handing her a water bottle. "You need to lay off the sugar."

She chuckled tiredly. "Says the biggest sugar addict in all the land."

"Drink already."

Too tired to retort back, Rebekah chugged back the water, trying to force herself to get out of this tired haze. After finishing, she sat forward in the seat, taking a brief look at her phone. There were a couple texts from Elijah, Stef, and surprisingly one from Caroline. Nothing from Nik. Few missed spam calls, but nothing worth her time for now.

Briefly glancing at Dean, he was going over his phone too, trying to catch up probably on what he missed. Before she could speak, another song streamed through the speakers, the song and the music blasting through was more than enough to make both her and Dean cringe.

"_It was the heat of the moment! Telling me what my heart mean. The heat of the moment showed in your eyes!" _

At least they both agreed. That had got to go.

"Oh hell no."

"Bloody hell."

Both hands reached for the volume knob at the same time, the unexpected contact momentarily surprising them. Rebekah turned down the dial and a small silence fell over them, both individuals wondering who was going to break the ice.

Now, both of them also had to answer a question.

Bollocks. Not now.

"Hey, let's switch. You need some sleep." Dean urged before getting out of the front seat and getting to the driver's side. He opened Rebekah's door, gingerly shaking her. "Come on, let's go."

"No Dean, I don't trust you." Rebekah replied groggily, trying desperately to stay awake.

"Don't worry. You've given me enough to trust you're not going to go completely crazy on me." He reassured her with a wink. "I promise, I'll tell you exactly where I am going with your car."

The paranoid part of her was screaming at her to keep an eye on him, but the tired part of her now demanded rest. Spending all this time with him, he could have harmed her at any time. Surely it wouldn't be bad to...take a snooze.

"Fine, but we still answer one last question," she reminded him.

She could feel his strong arms holding her steady for a moment before he guided her to the passenger side, strapping her in with the seat belt. Leaning her head back and just rest, the comfortable blackness was creeping in.

Dean finished sitting himself on the driver's side before strapping himself in.

"You know how to drive this?" Rebekah asked, not caring if this was her final question.

"Oh yeah." Dean nodded with a slight grin, putting the car in drive. "Got a classic. A 1967 Chevy Impala. All sleek and black. She's my baby and a classy lady."

Rebekah almost snorted. "You make it sound as if she were a real person."

"Real enough for me." Dean countered. "Your car is beautiful, though. Not gonna lie. Where are you bringing this beautiful lady to?"

The darkness was creeping in, but Rebekah had one more ounce of energy left in her.

"California," she said sleepily. "I wanna...see...the water."

With no more energy, she was out like a light.

* * *

The soothing rocking from the car on the road slowly came to a stop, drawing Rebekah from her slumber. Blinking her eyes open, she saw Dean like he was last time - sitting in the driver's seat concentrating on the road before putting it in park. He didn't look that tired. In fact, he almost looked relaxed. She was sure her car wasn't the same as the impala, but hers was still a classic.

But now the real important question - where was she now?

"Had a good nap, sleeping beauty?" she could hear him ask.

She nodded, trying to stretch her sleepy limbs. "Yeah, I hope so. Where are we now?"

"In Baton Rouge. I got you set up with a hotel so it would be easier for you, no need to thank me."

Louisiana? They were here already? How long was she out?

"You got us a hotel?" Rebekah asked one more time, not hearing everything all the way through.

"No, Bex." The Winchester replied. "I got _you _a hotel. Figured getting you a place to rest would be enough for thanks. The ride was fun, but this is where you and I are gonna part ways."

Part ways already? "You're just leaving?"

Dean was silent for a moment, ignoring her question. Pushing it aside, he unbuckled himself and got out of the car. He walked towards the passenger side and opened it, waiting for the blonde to get out on her own. Taking the que, Rebekah stepped out of the car too. After being hours in the car with Dean, she'd grown used to him. It was so odd of her. The old her would have given anything to be alone and away from the craziness of her family. But now being human and being on her own, she couldn't help but crave the company - even someone like Dean.

Both of them approached the trunk, Rebekah still probing him. "Are you leaving because of what you said earlier?"

"Yeah," he answered, gathering his things after opening the trunk and getting Rebekah's too. "You've done a lot for me, Bex. And I don't say that a lot to many people."

The gratitude from him was obvious, but she knew there was something else running through his head. So many words were coming up to her throat. She wanted to say a lot of things. For the first time, Rebekah felt as if she had a clean slate. She could have true relationships outside of her checkered past. She didn't want to let Dean go, but who was she to hold anyone back from their own will?

Swallowing the urges, she kept her composure. Determined, she handed him her cellphone.

"You better put your number in here, Winchester. You're not getting out of my life that easy."

She watched him shifting those green eyes back and forth, wondering what to do. She was still stubborn, though. He ran his hand through his hair before finally sighing. "Okay, but don't get too crazy with it. Guard this info with your life."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm going to shout it out from the walls of Jericho, Dean. You can trust me. But please, let's keep in touch. I'm...asking as a friend."

After what seemed like a century, Dean finally caved in. He took the cell phone from her hands and quickly typed in his info. It took everything Rebekah had to keep her heart from doing somersaults in her chest, her heart bouncing with unexpected happiness. Well, let's be honest. Her emotions have been everywhere lately. After he finished his task, he sealed the deals.

"Friends."


End file.
